EDITORIAL : THE DAILY STAR, BANGLADESH

      

 

Jhilmil project

Ensure transparency in allotment

It is for the third time that the RAJUK is going to invite applications for plots in their latest residential area project, Jhilmil, on the outskirts of the capital which has taken more than 14 years to be completed.

While one must appreciate the government's effort to address the problems of housing and the ever increasing population pressure on the capital, the agencies concerned should ensure that the applicants are spared the hassles that they have to go through before, during and after having put in their applications.

It is creditable that the government has gone for construction of flats of various sizes, including many of them between 600 and 800 sq ft, which should be affordable by the middle and low income groups. We feel that in this context, keeping in mind the dwindling land area of the country, the government may consider building flats only, in particular of smaller sizes and doing away with large plots altogether. Efficient management of space is what the agencies must strive for in order to strike a balance between demand and available real estate. It also commendable that those who have been affected by the project would be given either plots or flats depending on how much of land they had to cede.

However, there are a few things that must be handled with utmost clarity. Allocation of plots must be done in a transparent manner and the eligibility criteria must be strictly followed so that that no one that owns a flat or land in any other part of the country is eligible for it here; and this should also be applicable to those that would qualify directly. There should not be inordinate delay in handing over plots to the applicants after the final payment.

We would also like to remind RAJUK that it must strictly enforce its building code through constant supervision, particularly the aspect of earthquake vulnerability. It is regrettable but true that illegal cost-saving measures are resorted to by builders, often through the connivance of a few corrupt RAJUK officials.

The UGC's pledge

No compromise on quality

We welcome the pledge by Prof A. K. Azad Choudhury, the newly appointed chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), to expand the country's higher education system while not compromising on quality.

In order to transform the pledge into action, however, a number of matters must be taken into consideration. As the chairman has duly noted, while universities have increased in number in the country, the quality of education provided by them has not seen a concomitant rise. The politicisation of public universities and commercialisation of private universities are possibly the greatest barriers in this regard. Both evils have led to a steady decline in the quality of education imparted at the highest seats of learning in the country. Political unrest leading to session jams and violence at public universities and “business mentality” causing substandard teaching and grading at private universities are common concerns.

A more recent rising trend has been the consultancy phenomenon and part-time migration of public university teachers to private universities where the label of the former creates opportunities for higher incomes in the latter. In terms of quality research, too, there is a shortage due not only to limited funding but also lack of motivation for faculty members. The lack of modern technological facilities such as fully computerised library systems also hinders the academic process.

It is important that the UGC set, implement and effectively enforce its own standards and rules in order to maintain and increase the quality of higher education in the country. This includes infrastructural and technological developments at the institutions as well as increased research opportunities for faculty members. The first step towards “education oriented to life and livelihood”, as promised by the new chairman, would be to give education itself top priority through foregoing politics, business and anything else which is an obstacle to higher learning.