BANGLADESH

The government has extended the deadline by another year for private universities to get their own campus.

As before, they will not be permitted to launch new faculties, programmes, subjects or open new extensions to their campus, but they can take in new students.

An education ministry meeting on Monday decided that the universities who were yet to meet the requirement must do so and inform the University Grants Commission within a year.

Those at the meeting were informed that North South University, Chittagong University of Science and Technology, International Islamic University, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, International University of Business, Agriculture and Technology, BGC Trust University Bangladesh, Chittagong, Bangladesh University of Business and Technology, Independent University Bangladesh, Stamford University, Premier University and City University had established their own campus on an amount of land specified by the Private University Act-2010.

The campuses of BRAC University, East West University, Gana Bishwabidyalay, South East University, The University of Asia Pacific, Daffodil International University and Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology were undergoing construction. Seven other universities had secured the land and their building designs had been approved but were yet to begin construction. They were asked to complete and transfer the new campus within a year.

Yet another 18 had bought the land but their building plans had not been approved. They had been asked to get the plans approved within six months.

IBAIS, Atish Dipankar University and Dhaka International University had been asked to resolve ownership disputes within three months.

Northern University, UITS and Leading University, which had cases with the government and the UGC, were asked to resolve the matter through court as soon as possible.

There was no decision on Darul Ihsan University as there was an ongoing judicial probe into irregularities at the university.

The universities who had not bought enough land were asked to do so within six months.