ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION IN BANGLADESH: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES FOR PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS

Bangladeshi engineering and technology education has been experiencing radical transformation and development over the last twenty years. This field which was monopolized by a number of public institutions for a long time is being shared by a growing number of private universities and colleges. The higher education institutions are the largest stakeholders to adapt the technological advancement for betterment and efficient rendering of education to the learning community. Their goal is to play a vital role in promoting productivity, innovation, entrepreneurship, gender mainstreaming, and overall socio-cultural advancement. The key to achieving high rates of economic growth (around 7 percent) and to distribute equitably to her population lies in development and utilization of her abundance human resources. The higher education is highly subsidized in the public institutions whereas it is partly in the private institutes. There is growing interest in the current status of engineering and technology education in Bangladesh due to the globalization of engineering profession. This study concludes with the comparison of public and private institutions in terms of curriculum, admission policies,. availability of information and communication technology (ICT) facilities, cost etc. The collaboration and influence of the American universities will also be discussed. The employers in Bangladesh are demanding engineers and technologists to be good team players with excellent communication skills to compete locally and globally. In recent years almost sixty percent of the continuously increasing work visas allocated by our Government are filled up by the engineers and technologists from Southeast Asian countries. A study of the reasons and means of enthusiasm and interest in engineering and technology programs there will be presented. Recently our government is getting pressure from industries, businesses and politicians to even increase the work visas for foreign born engineers as there is an acute shortage of qualified engineers here. The women whom represent nearly fifty percent of the population are also being motivated to enroll and finish the program by understanding that the careers in these areas are exciting, rewarding and accessible. The author will find some common ground to motivate the students toward engineering and technology programs in the United States.