Was Dhaka University ever the “Oxford of the East”? Taj Hashmi Contrary to the popular perceptions in Bangladesh, (a) Siberia is home to the largest tigers on earth, not the Sundarbans; and (b) the Bengal Tiger is not only native to Bangladesh, but also to Nepal, Bhutan, Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, West Bengal and some other parts of India. Most importantly, more than 75% of Bengal Tigers live in India, and the largest ones live in Assam and Ranthambore (Rajasthan), not in Bangladesh. One may wonder as to how this narrative on tigers is relevant to this write-up on Dhaka University! As sometimes myths are more compelling than the truth, I have used the parable of Bengal Tigers only to shatter the well-entrenched myth about Dhaka University -- my Alma Mater -- that once it was world-class and even comparable to the Oxford University. There is a popular perception among laymen and scholars in Bangladesh that Dhaka University was once (or still is) the “Oxford of the East.” This reflects their lack of information, as well as their penchant for glorifying their past and present out of sheer patriotic zeal, which is irrational, blind and not always based on facts. Their “once were warriors” mentality is also the fig leaf of their acute sense of deprivation. Since education is the magic wand of progress, nothing could be more damaging than defending the state of education in Bangladesh, and glorifying a university, which is only comparable to the not-so-good ones in the world. There are universities in sub-Saharan Africa, which outclass and outperform Dhaka University and all the other universities in Bangladesh, in every area of teaching and research. While Dhaka Universitys world ranking in 2014 is 4,068, that of Nairobi (Kenya) and Makerere (Uganda) universities stand at 1,458 and 1,932, respectively. So, lets not compare Dhaka with any Western university, let alone Oxford. While Oxford is among the top 10, less than half a dozen South Asian universities (from India and Pakistan) are among the top 500 in the world. We need to know as to how this fairy tale about Dhaka University evolved, which has got such wide currency in Bangladesh that even sections of the educated population believe in this myth. However, a couple of similarities in the areas of overall system of administration and teaching methods between Oxford and Dhaka do not turn the latter into the “Oxford of the East.” The first similarity between the two institutions is that both are “residential,” where the students are supposed to live on campus in halls or colleges. The students primarily belong to their respective halls, not to their respective departments or schools. However, Oxford has remained residential, but in the case of Dhaka University, the bulk of the students are non-resident “attached” students, attached to particular halls of residence. The “three-year honours system” had been another thing in common between the two institutions. As in Oxford, all undergraduate students at Dhaka University used to get themselves admitted into various academic departments, which used to offer three-year honours programmes, until very recently. There have been some changes in this regard. Dhaka University also replicated the tutorial system from Oxford besides the lecture-method of teaching, and introduced house tutors at the residential halls -- as they existed at Oxford -- for the benefit of resident students who needed further instruction outside the classroom. As we know, since Dhaka University has done away with the three-year honours programme; it is no longer a residential university (it was not fully residential ever); the tutorial system of instruction is almost practically dead; and last but not least, house tutors at this university are simply administrators to assist the hall administration (they dont formally teach the students), we have no reasons to believe in the myth any more that Dhaka University was/is ever the “Oxford of the East.” However, despite the prevalent poor standard of education at Dhaka University today, there is no reason to undermine its glorious past. The metamorphosis of Dhaka University from a world class university into one of the poorly run institutions of higher education in the world is an example of how some post-colonial Third World countries have managed to destroy the fabrics of the rule of law, education and many other institutions built by their colonial masters. The debate is irrelevant here if the British colonial rulers established the rule of law and world class education system in the Indian Subcontinent out of benevolence or sheer pragmatism. We know Dhaka University played the most important role in the creation of the Bengali Muslim middle class in East Bengal, who played the decisive role in the creation of Pakistan in 1947, and Bangladesh in 1971. Dhaka University had its hey days in the 1930s and 1940s, till the Partition of 1947, which led to the mass emigration of qualified Hindu professors to India, who once had brought fame and glory to the institution. One may mention renowned physicist Satyen Bose (who jointly published path breaking research works with Einstein), and famous historian R.C. Majumdar, among many other celebrated professors of Dhaka University in this regard. The overnight replacement of the more qualified Hindu professors by the relatively less qualified Muslim Bengali teachers after the Partition signaled the beginning of the irreversible decline in the standard of education and reputation of Dhaka University However, the worst was yet to come. Dhaka University and the other universities, colleges, schools and the overall education system in Bangladesh got a rude shock, paradoxically after the independence of Bangladesh. The country came into being with lots of promises but due to factional conflicts, waste of time and energy on futile projects -- the overnight replacement of English by Bengali as the medium of instruction at college-level, for example -- wrought havoc in every sphere of society, including higher education. Although standard books and journals in Bengali on any discipline -- other than Bengali language and literature -- are simply inadequate, and non-existing for certain disciplines, the proponents of hasty replacement of English as the medium of instruction did not weigh the pros and cons of this drastic decision. The rest is history. Last but not least, besides lacking qualified faculty, excellent library and lab-facilities, good students and proper patronage and support from the public and private sectors, Dhaka University is also infested with violent student politics (students regularly get killed by members of rival groups) and extremely fractious and partisan teacher politics (politics not merit determine teachers selection, tenure and promotion). Again, most faculty members at Dhaka University dont have Ph.D.s, and good publications; while their counterparts at any decent university in the West -- definitely Oxford -- are well-published and not without Ph.D. degrees -- with exceptions in certain disciplines, like law, medicine and accountancy. In sum, we cannot understand the state of decay and degeneration of Dhaka University in isolation. While de-emphasising of English is an important factor behind the decline of higher education in Bangladesh, nevertheless, this is not the sole factor. Dhaka University cannot remain insulated from the prevalent political chaos, economic mismanagement and social disorder in the country indefinitely. Then again, there is no point glorifying it as the “Oxford of the East.” Myths can neither replenish the loss, nor hide the reality. The writer teaches security studies at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee. Sage has recently published his latest book, Global Jihad and America: The Hundred-Year War Beyond Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 11:19:33 +0000
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