Professor A S M Amanullah, Vice-Chancellor of National University (NU), has criticized the university’s curriculum for lacking connection with the industrial sector. He stated, “This university is producing exam-takers, not students.”
Speaking at a dialogue titled “365 Days of the Interim Government” held at a hotel in Gulshan, Dhaka, organized by the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) on Sunday morning, Amanullah highlighted serious concerns about the examination system and academic integrity.
He revealed that during a recent visit to a college in Dhaka, he witnessed students using AI tools on their mobile phones to take exams while the principal remained passive, casually drinking tea.
He expressed deep concern over the deteriorating academic environment, noting the difficulty in finding responsible teachers, with many forming exclusive cliques.
Amanullah criticized the disconnection between NU’s curriculum and industry needs, stating the university’s examination and curriculum system offers almost zero linkage to practical skills demanded by the industrial sector.
Yet, big companies in the country still recruit NU graduates, largely because these graduates lack ambition and skills, making them easily manipulated and employed over long periods.
He also pointed out significant flaws in NU’s examination procedures. For example, physics teachers input marks for philosophy courses, and students in honors and master’s programs without laboratories receive full marks in chemistry, physics, and biology exams. Even where labs exist, practical work is often neglected.
The dialogue also featured speakers including Brigadier General (Retd.) M. Sakhawat Hossain, adviser for inland water transport to the interim government; Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H. Mansur; BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury; and Ruhin Hossain Prince, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB). CPD Executive Director Fahmida Khatun presented the keynote paper.
