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The Limitation of Tertiary Education System in Bangladesh:
An Empirical Study on University Students in Dhaka City
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Keywords
01. Introduction
02. Background of The Study
2.1 Tertiary Education
2.2 Unemployment
03. Research Questions
04. Literature Review
05. Methodology
5.1 Research Design
5.2 Population of The Study
5.3 Data Collection Tools & Techniques
5.4 Method of Data Analysis
06. Results & Discussion
07. Significance of the Results
08. Limitations
09. Conclusions
10. References
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The Limitation of Tertiary Education System in Bangladesh:
An Empirical Study on University Students in Dhaka City
Abstract:
The study conducted on university students was an attempt to see whether the higher
education they are currently receiving are adequate for securing employment after
their graduation and their overall experience throughout their under-graduation years.
The targeted population was reached via a questionnaire of 44 questions that was
circulated online. The information collected by the survey has been analyzed
qualitatively to reason the shortcomings they are facing during their undergraduation years which has made it difficult for the university graduates securing
post-graduation employment. The study is however confined to a very small population of
university students in Dhaka and information from the relevant literature is also cited as
reference. The study was an attempt to see the reasons why current university students
and graduates are not getting employed. Not only having a university degree is no longer
helping many graduates securing employment, but also new updated skills are required to
keep pace with the current market demand. The results of the research are obvious, and an
increased preference of changing and reforming the current university curriculum for the
convenience of getting a job has been found. The study claims that the existing tertiary
education system is failing to develop skilled human resources.
Keywords:
Current Tertiary Education, Employment, Shifting Majors, Satisfaction,
Shifting Job Sectors, Preference, Mental Health.
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01.Introduction:
Bangladesh is recognized globally for its remarkable track record of socioeconomic
development. The economy is undergoing structural changes on several fronts. Industries need to
constantly adjust their business and production modality with these technological changes.
Equipping the young generation with the skills needed for jobs remains crucial. (Rahman et al.,
2019) Bangladesh has many young people who require high-quality higher education. With
Bangladesh's recent emergence as a lower middle-income country and a growth in its
population's per capita income, the country's higher education system needs massive
improvement (Ahmed, 2016) Tertiary education institutes are struggling to produce employable
graduates for the job market. There is an urgent need to identify and address the challenges in the
sector. The culture of collaborative research to promote industry competitiveness and innovation
has been largely missing in Bangladesh's tertiary education landscape. (Rahman et al., 2019)
However, It is clear that many additional elements, in addition to soft skills, influence the
attainment of long-term employment. (Nusrat & Sultana, 2019) Potential students, safe and
secure educational facilities, skilled faculties, strong relationships between teachers and students,
outcome-based education, instructional instructions, and so on are all important components of
educational quality. As a result, Bangladesh must focus on providing high-quality education,
which will be the most effective weapon in accomplishing the vision 2041 milestone. (Ullah,
2020) The study's sole purpose is to not only highlight the role of soft skills in securing longterm employment and the skills gap that exists in educational curricula, but also the changes in
improving quality Furthermore, the article focuses solely on the skills gap, rather than providing
a strategy for bridging the gap or filling the gaps in needed skills.
02.Background of the Study:
2.1 Tertiary Education:
Tertiary education refers to specialized education in a specific field, taken on after high school. It
is non-compulsory and takes place in a college or university. This form of education may be
delivered virtually or at a distance from students' homes. (Tertiary Education Definition and
Meaning, n.d.) Tertiary education plays a critical role in promoting growth, alleviating poverty,
and increasing shared prosperity.
A highly skilled workforce with lifetime access to a solid post-secondary education is essential
for innovation and growth: educated people are more employable and productive, earn higher
incomes, and are better equipped to cope with economic shocks. Not only does tertiary education
assist the individual, but it also benefits society. Graduates with higher education are more
ecologically sensitive, have healthier habits, and participate in civic activities at a higher rate.
Increased tax revenues from higher salaries, healthier children, and smaller families all
contribute to a nation's strength. In short, higher education institutions prepare people to be
active members of their communities and societies by not only providing them with necessary
and relevant work skills, but also by preparing them to be active members of their communities
and societies. (Tertiary Education, n.d.)
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The number of public universities in the country has increased from 31 to 47 in 10 years, from
2009 to 2019. During the same time span, the number of private universities increased from 51 to
105. Despite such rapid expansion and quantitative progress in tertiary education, several doubts
concerning its quality and link to employability have been raised in recent years. Bangladeshi
universities, according to a recent World Bank research (2019), have consistently performed
poorly in international rankings. This calls into question the overall quality of tertiary education
once more. (Ehsan, 2021)
2.2 Unemployment
According to the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development),
unemployment is defined as those over a certain age (typically 15) who are neither employed or
self-employed but are currently looking for work during the reference period. (Unemployment Unemployment Rate - OECD Data, n.d.) The unemployment rate, which is the number of jobless
people as a percentage of the labor force, is used to calculate unemployment (the total number of
people employed added to those unemployed). (OECD Glossary of Statistical Terms Unemployment Rate (Harmonised) - OECD Definition, n.d.)
Currently, young people aged 15 to 30 make up around 30% of the entire population of the
country. Nearly one-third of young people are unemployed. Fifty percent have advanced degrees,
which is terrifying. However, the Corona outbreak has resulted in a rise in the number of
unemployed persons. Every country, whether rich or developing, has more or fewer unemployed
individuals. However, many people in our country blame the increasing number of job seekers
for the unemployment. (Express, 2021)
Bangladesh is an over populated country with an estimated population of 164.69 million
(Bangladesh - Total Population 2016-2026, n.d.) where unemployment rate has risen from 4.3%
in 2011 to 5.3% in 2021 within a span of 10 years. (Bangladesh - Unemployment Rate 1999 to
2020, n.d.) The majority of Bangladesh’s workforce is employed in the tertiary sector, which is
growing while the primary sector, which includes agriculture, is shrinking. Since our universities
and tertiary education institutes are not as firmly linked to industries as they are in developed
countries, these tertiary level courses sometimes provide a set of skills that are outdated in
today’s workplace. Furthermore, the growing use of technology and artificial intelligence poses a
new risk to job security. A corporation that once employed hundreds of employees may today
conduct its operations successfully with the help of advanced software operated by a small
number of individuals. As a result, ensuring work for a large population is becoming increasingly
difficult. (Uddin, 2021)
03. Research Questions:
We’ve categorized our questionnaire into four different sectors, each of these sectors asked few
common questions to get a broader outlook.
•
•
How would you describe your current curriculum expression?
What do you think of how your curriculum expression should be, in your opinion?
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•
•
•
•
•
•
After completing your degree, do you think there’s a need for learning new (certain) soft
skills to secure a job.
After completing your degree, are you planning on getting an MBA degree?
If you get an opportunity (or, feel there’s a need) to switch your sector, would you do it?
If you switch your job from your major, what would be your preference?
If you get enough funding/loans, would you like to be an Entrepreneur/Start-up your own
company?
How satisfied are you with your undergraduate curriculum?
04. Literature Review:
There are scholars and reports who have opinionated differently on the current scenario of
Bangladesh’s tertiary education system and on the solution of employment crises they’re facing.
Some suggests that improving the quality of current higher education can bring plenty of
investment in our country and make place for new jobs for these educated unemployed
graduates. Work integrated skills are very crucial to produce potential human resource. On the
other hand, some suggests that the implementation of ICT in every sector of education has
become an indispensable skill to tackle the fourth industrial revolution. Entrepreneurship can
work as a solution according to some intellectuals.
Education is a human right, and as such, it should be prioritized in national resource allocation. It
is shortsighted to confine education to the job of producing skilled labor, or to measure one's
success by the number of children or adults who have successfully completed a 'learning
package.' Previously, education was seen to be essential not just for economic development but
also for social and political development within nations and among individuals. Education is also
linked to human resource development, which has an impact on more than simply economic
progress, but also on individuals' and communities' overall development. (Hallak, 1990)
A university's structure is fundamentally that of a community of scholars. The concept of a
university was that of a general stadium, or a school of universal learning,' which simply means a
school with organized study facilities to attract students from a larger community. It is a location
for the discussion and transmission of ideas throughout a large area of the country through
personal interaction. All universities have education as a core mission. The university as we
know it now is a medieval development that serves two purposes: knowledge discovery via
research and knowledge transmission through teaching. The traditional function of universities in
defining and valuing knowledge is less clear, as new knowledge is developed in a variety of nonacademic settings, including commercial and industrial settings. This is exerting political and
philosophical pressure on the academic world from both within and outside the academic
community. Universities may make a valuable contribution to society by producing critical and
reflective knowledge through research activities. They are one of the few venues where
knowledge is created and transferred, and they have gathered vast libraries, equipment, and
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faculty resources. A university's mission is to originate, follow, and clarify ideas to create new
knowledge, as well as to verify, conserve, and disseminate that information and to discover new
applications for it. We specialize on knowledge formation. Teaching and research are the two
main processes in universities; teaching leads to learning, and research contributes to knowledge.
(Ahmed, 2016)
Universities recognize that competent people are required in every profession, and that, as a
result, countries must develop in a balanced manner throughout all educational areas for national
development to progress. As a result, higher education institutions now offer a diverse spectrum
of training and instruction in the arts, sciences, social sciences, and commerce, which may have
contributed to the recent IT and e-commerce revolution. Universities are centers for the sharing
and exchange of knowledge, and excellence in scholarships, as well as well-developed
communication mechanisms remind us. (Alam, 2009) The literacy rate in Bangladesh is 63.08
percent and the rate of higher education receiving students is 16 percent. The number of
university students has increased to 3.9 million in 2019. However, many questions have been
raised about its quality and its linkage with employability. Unemployment rate for university
graduates in Bangladesh is 38.6 percent. Around 4, 00, 00 expatriates are working in
Bangladesh, that to, with due official process and with all valid documents. Consequently, they
are siphoning away USD 5 billion annually. (Ehsan, 2021)
Education is essential for knowledge generation, adoption, and dissemination. People's ability to
learn and process information improves because of basic education. Higher and technological
education, on the other hand, is vital for improving labor skills, developing new information, and
adapting knowledge acquired elsewhere. The challenge for developing countries is to improve
their human and institutional skills so that all sectors, including enterprises and individuals, can
successfully learn, adapt, and apply knowledge. Poor countries and poor people vary from rich
countries and people not just because they have less capital, but also because they have less
knowledge. The balance between knowledge and resources has changed so far in favor of the
former that it is now possible that knowledge, rather than land, tools, or labor, is the most
essential factor determining one's level of life. (World Development Report 2002 : Building
Institutions for Markets, n.d.) The knowledge-based economies of today's most technologically
advanced countries are global. There are various sorts of knowledge, but two are particularly
important for development: technological knowledge and attribute knowledge. Technical
knowledge, such as software technology and aerodynamics, is considered technological
knowledge. Knowledge gaps are created by unequal distribution of technical knowledge between
and within countries. Knowledge of characteristics refers to the specifications of a product's or
service's quality. The difficulty with information is that we don't know everything there is to
know about qualities.(Alam, 2009)
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Bangladesh's higher education system must adapt to the needs of a key constituency: its students.
There are nine important variables that must be addressed in order to improve higher education
quality. Teacher quality, method and content, peer quality, direct and indirect facilities,
administrative efficacy, political climate, gender effects, and predicted satisfaction with higher
education are all elements to consider. These appear to be the regions that require the most care.
There are numerous signs or issues to be highlighted in each region in order to investigate the
reality. (Andaleeb, 2003) There are several significant elements that influence the quality of
higher education in Bangladesh. Student intake, teacher recruitment, staff development, teaching
technique library, and laboratory and external concerns such as partisanship, uncontrolled
expansion, budgetary constraints, and corruption are also reasons behind the problems faced in
higher education institutions. The Bangladeshi government has already taken steps to address the
difficulties and improve the quality of tertiary education. The Higher Education Quality
Enhancement Project (HEQEP) is one of the most important of the programs. (Hossain, 2017)
In today's competitive employment market, recruiters are increasingly interested in job-related
expertise (soft or non-technical abilities) in addition to academic knowledge (technical
competence). Universities and other higher education institutions are likewise taking the need
seriously and looking for new ways to improve their graduates' employability. According to
recent figures, nearly 2 million new faces enter the workforce in Bangladesh each year, but twothirds of them stay unemployed or underemployed. On the other side, Bangladeshi industries
have 10–15 percent open positions every year due to a lack of qualified candidates. It is now
thought that the absence of soft skills among entry-level business graduates causes the problem
of employment. As a result, improving soft skills has become a critical aspect in obtaining
employment for business graduates. Furthermore, learning soft skills is widely seen as critical for
demonstrating intelligence and successfully sustaining competition. Soft skills, such as the
ability to communicate, solve problems, work under pressure, and display teamwork, leadership,
and time management abilities with strong ethics, are often considered to be occupational traits
that are difficult to master and evaluate. Soft skills have been frequently referred to as
employability skills in recent years. These soft skills enable business graduates to effectively
apply their technical abilities and theoretical knowledge in the workplace. In addition, he
believes that the important soft skills necessary in the workplace are personal, social,
communication, and self-management behaviors. Employers consider soft skills to be
employability abilities since they are required to maintain a positive working connection with
coworkers and customers, which leads to increased productivity. As a result, an employee's job
performance and career success are dependent on their ability to use soft skills effectively.
(Nusrat & Sultana, 2019)
Bangladesh is increasingly establishing itself as a progressive economy with increased global
mobility and high economic output. Universities must design new work-oriented courses that
will enhance students' work experience and general skills. Because of the widening gap between
graduate qualities and industry requirements, there has been a growing worry over teaching and
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learning performance at HEIs in Bangladesh in recent years. This disparity has resulted in a
dearth of employment among students graduating from Bangladesh's various universities.
Traditionally, classes in a degree program have been structured to increase students' theoretical
knowledge of the subject, with less emphasis on how they might apply that information in realworld situations. In order to address this significant issue, HEIs must implement work-integrated
learning (WIL) programs for their students in order to help them gain generic skills and relevant
work experiences. Universities may be able to deliver a higher return on their students'
educational investments by using WIL. A successful WIL program necessitates collaboration
among a variety of stakeholders, including students, teachers, managers, professional bodies, and
career offices. Employer involvement in education and training should bridge the gap between
education and employment. Universities must take a number of initiatives to form tight ties with
potential employers. (Chowdhury, 2020)
The subject of information and communication technology (ICT) is quickly evolving. In
Bangladesh, ICT is fast gaining ground in education and the labor market, yet it is still in its
infancy. ICT has created a global job market in which qualified people can work from home,
anywhere in the globe, without having to travel to or attend a workplace. Science and technology
research has been prioritized in Bangladesh's development ambitions. A National Science and
Technology Policy was recently written and adopted by the government. Students in Bangladesh
can earn a BSc without having studied mathematics. Scientific students are opting for nonscience areas for their post-secondary education, demonstrating our poor regard for science
education. Even those who excel in physics, chemistry, and mathematics are choosing to pursue
a business career. Importance of science and engineering are growing. (Alam, 2009)
Bangladesh is a highly populated developing country with plenty of potential for HRD thanks to
large investments in higher education. As a result, higher education should be designed in such a
way that it can develop talented human assets in high demand on both the national and
worldwide labor markets. Overpopulation is not a concern in any way if Bangladesh can use
proper planning and world-class education to turn its citizens into human assets rather than
burdens. This sector requires significant investment, yet the country's financial capacity to
finance higher education and research is limited. Due to a lack of funding, higher educational
institutions, particularly public universities, are severely lacking in teaching learning aids and
infrastructural amenities. The government has placed a high importance on human resource
development through education, and as a result, it is critical to examine the fiscal issues of higher
education, with a focus on budget allocation, implementation, and use. There are three types of
higher educational institutions based on ownership - public, nongovernment, and fully private.
Budgetary system of those educational institutions also differs. About 90 percent of budget of
public higher academic institutions is supported by the government and a small part (about 10%)
are from self-generated fund. The main challenges of the HE budgets in Bangladesh are
inadequate budgetary allocation due to limited resources, inappropriate budget implementation
due to poor governance, and unproductive utilization due to session jams, unemployment,
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mismatch between expected and actual study areas as well as study discipline and job, slavish
national politics, malpractice of public university autonomy, poor planning, and inappropriate
implementation of the same. Furthermore, when recruiting faculty, promoting them to higher
positions, and assigning them greater tasks, political identification takes precedence over merit,
and less emphasis is placed on academic credentials and outstanding research. The volume of
budgetary provision must be increased to a coherent level. Merit and quality should be the only
criteria for appointment, promotion and posting of academic and nonacademic staff. More
importance should be given on productive utilization of HE budgets through reducing session
jam, unemployment and put an end to shifting technical graduates into non-technical jobs.
(Sarkar & Hossain, 2016)
According to the Labor Force Survey 2016–2017, the unemployment rate for those with a
tertiary education was 11.2 percent in 2017, significantly higher than the national average of 4.2
percent. In addition, the industry has a large gender disparity. Women have a 21.4 percent
unemployment rate, which is roughly three times greater than men's (8.3 percent). The job
market for university education graduates is difficult, according to recent graduate tracking polls.
Furthermore, regardless of the type of institution, a third of graduates are unemployed one or two
years after graduation. Many people are still pursuing extra education to better their skills and
credentials. For many tertiary degree graduates in Bangladesh, graduate unemployment, possibly
with a protracted duration of unemployment, looks to be a reality. Furthermore, there are
considerable differences among the various types of institutions. Graduates from colleges appear
to be doing particularly badly. Only 19% of college graduates work full-time or part-time, while
more than half are unemployed. Because polytechnic graduates are more likely than university
and college graduates to find work, employment outcomes for tertiary-level technical school
graduates appear to be slightly better. Their superior technical skills and knowledge may have
made them more enticing to potential employers. (Rahman et al., 2019)
Higher education is a critical component of a country's socioeconomic and political
development. A country's higher education quality is determined by a number of important
factors, including the institution's vision and mission, curriculum and syllabus, faculty members'
knowledge and skills, a safe and secure campus environment, intake admission and student
assessment, pedagogical instruction implementation, appropriate workload, research, and
teaching ethics and morality. Because of limitations such as faculty recruitment politics,
unhealthy teacher and student politics, ineffective faculty development program, huge gap in
infrastructural facilities, lack of quality research, imbalanced curriculum, and syllabus, higher
education in Bangladesh is in flux while responding to the challenges of globalization in a local
way. The Bangladesh government has established HEQEP (Higher Education Quality
Enhancement Project) and IQAC (Institutional Quality Assurance Cell) cells at each university to
ensure high-quality higher education. Five major elements: students, faculty, research, resources,
and curriculum and syllabus, which will assist authorities and policymakers in taking the
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required steps to ensure quality education. We must concentrate on these five critical areas of
higher education in order to improve the quality of HE. (Ullah, 2020)
Although there has been a significant numeric increase in Bangladesh's tertiary education
system, there are still issues about the extent to which its quality has improved. When seen from
the standpoint of industry, the educational system is failing to generate the necessary quantity of
skilled graduates to meet market demand. In other words, the educational sector's contribution to
reducing unemployment and underemployment has been inadequate. This research has
uncovered various underlying problems that have hampered Bangladesh's tertiary education
system. However, this does not rule out the possibility of resolving the problems. Rather, with
strong political will and a holistic approach, the current scenario, which depicts a bleak winter,
can be progressively transformed into a bright summer. It is predicted that the mitigation
strategies proposed in this study, if considered and implemented by the appropriate officials, will
help to change the current situation to some extent. However, it should be noted that expecting a
complete transformation to occur overnight would be naive. As it is a mammoth undertaking,
reaping the benefits of the adopted procedures will take some time. Bangladeshi policymakers,
on the other hand, should place it at the top of their priority list. This is because the country has
certain objectives to meet, such as Vision 2021, Agenda 2030, and Vision 2041. The importance
of competent youngsters and personnel in achieving those objectives cannot be overstated. As a
result, it is critical that Bangladeshi policymakers take proactive steps to improve the overall
quality of the tertiary education system. (Ehsan, 2021)
05.Methodology:
To conduct this study, the following framework of research has been used and is described as
following:
5.1 Research Design
For this study, a qualitative analysis of social research was used. It's also descriptive, drawing on
secondary data from a variety of research articles, journals, media stories, and online resources.
For this study, a thorough literature evaluation was conducted to determine the research gap. The
literature review indicated a gap, which was the focus of this study.
5.2 Population of The Study
The population of the study is the students of various public and private universities. Since the
research is based on university students, the targeted age group is in between 18-24. The survey
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form was provided to them randomly and they were asked to participate in the survey according
to their will. The survey has been conducted for 10 days.
5.3 Data Collection Tools & Techniques
The data was collected through the Self-Administered Questionnaire Method. In the Google
Form, 44 questions had been asked. Since it was an online survey method, the google form link
was provided via different social networking sites. It is much more convenient and easier to
connect with this targeted age group via social networking sites. So, an online survey with
google form seemed to be the best way for data collection in this research. Also, online surveys
have the advantages of considerably low costs, ease in locating respondents, saving time,
respondent’s convenience, greater anonymity, greater accessibility, less chances of biasing error,
ease in securing information and standardized wording. The questionnaire consisted of multiple
choice, open ended and matrix questions. However, sensitive and leading questions have been
avoided.
5.4 Method of Data Analysis
With the collected data, the study attempted to represent an elaborate qualitative analysis of the
research questions. To analyze the data, a simple percentage method has been used according to
the response of the respondents and by analyzing how many respondents have responded to the
opinion option provided. In some cases, ‘Microsoft Excel’ spreadsheet program has been used.
This program was used to compare some situations and opinions of the respondents to reach a
conclusion to answer the research questions. This study has tried to answer the research question
based on the opinions provided in the survey.
06. Results & Discussion:
The questions were aimed to gather information regarding the current tertiary education levels,
categories of educational majors, such as BSc and BEng for Science and Engineering students,
BSS and BA for Social Science and Arts students, BBA and BCom for Business students, and
MBBS and BDS for medical students. The issues with each kind of branch of higher education,
the overall satisfaction of the current education they’re having and the overall experience and
their opinions and thoughts regarding their future career.
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The target population were asked 44 questions in a questionnaire circulated online. The
questionnaire included opinion-based questions as well as questions based on their current
tertiary education and their view on improving the quality of education. The key findings of the
study are discussed below.
PARTICIPATION BY GENDER
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Men
Women
Men
Women
Figure 01: Participation by Gender
The survey was conducted among the students of 12 public universities and medicals and 08
private universities and medicals situated in Dhaka city. The total number of participants was
435. Among them 316 were female and 116 were male students. Figure 1 shows the distribution
of the participants by gender.
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Current Curriculum Expression
37%
7.50%
BBA
22.20%
33.30%
0.00%
BA/ BSS
41.40%
5.30%
16.50%
36.80%
0.00%
MBBS/ BDS
20.00%
3.00%
0.00%
11.40%
BSC/ BENG
1.20%
0.00%
49.00%
28%
11.40%
10.00%
Theoretical> Technical
49.10%
26.90%
20.00%
30.00%
Technical > Theoretical
40.00%
Both Equally
50.00%
Theoretical
60.00%
Technical
Figure 02: Current Tertiary Education Curriculum Expression according to Students
Figure 02 below shows that about 37% of BBA students thinks that their current curriculum
expression is more theoretical than technical. About 7.5% thinks that techical courses are more
than theoretical courses in their current expression. 22.2% thinks that both theoreical and
technical courses are balanced while 33.3% believes that they only have theoretical courses.
As for the BA/ BSS students, 41.4% experiences that there are more theoretical courses than
technical courses, while 5.3% believes the opposite. They think that they have more technical
courses than theoretical courses. About 36.8% finds that they only have theoretical courses,
while nobody, in this category , thinks that they have only technical courses.
In the third category which is MBBS/ MDS, 20% thinks that they have more theoretical courses
than technical courses, while 3% believes the opposite. 49% reckons that they have a balanced
theoretical and technical curriculum, while 28% thinks they have a full theoretical curriculum.
Nobody thinks that they have only technical courses.
As for the BSc/ BEng majors, 49.1% thinks they have more theoretical courses than technical
courses, while 11.4% believes otherwise. They think they have more technical courses than
theoretical courses. 26.9% thinks they have a balanced curriculum of theoretical and technical
courses. 11.4% believes that they have only theoretical courses. About 1.2% thinks they have
only technical courses.
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Desired Curriculum Expression
0.00%
20.40%
BBA
51.90%
27.80%
2.30%
BA/BSS
12%
68.40%
15%
3.70%
29.60%
MBBS/ BDS
4.40%
1.20%
28.10%
BSC/ BENG
49.10%
18.60%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
Theoretical > Technical
49.40%
30.00%
40.00%
Technical>Theoretocal
50.00%
60.00%
Both Equally
70.00%
80.00%
Technical
Figure 03: Desired Curriculum Expression
Figure 03 below shows that about 0% of BBA students wants that their current curriculum
expression to be more theoretical than technical. About 20.4% wants that there should be more
technical courses than theoretical courses in their current expression. About 51.9% thinks that
both theoretical and technical courses should be balanced while 27.8% believes that they should
only have technical courses.
As for the BA/ BSS students, 2.3% wants that there should be more theoretical courses than
technical courses, while 12%% believes the opposite. They think that they have should have
more technical courses than theoretical courses. About 68.4% believes that there should be
balanced technical and theoretical courses, while15%, in this category, thinks that they should
have only technical courses.
In the third category which is MBBS/ MDS, 3.7% thinks that they should have more theoretical
courses than technical courses, while 29.6% believes the opposite. 49.4% reckons that they
should have a balanced theoretical and technical curriculum, while 4.4% thinks they should have
a full technical curriculum. Nobody thinks that there should be only theoretical courses.
As for the BSc/ BEng majors, 1.2% thinks they should have more theoretical courses than
technical courses, while 28.1% believes otherwise. They think they should have more technical
courses than theoretical courses. 49.1% thinks they should have a balanced curriculum of
theoretical and technical courses. Nobody wants to have only theoretical courses. About 18.6%
thinks they should have only technical courses.
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Need For Learning New Skills
120.00%
100.00%
97.10%
93.20%
80.00%
92.60%
72.80%
60.00%
40.00%
24.70%
20.00%
2.90% 0.00%
7.40%
6.80%
2.50%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
BSc/ Beng
MBBS/ BDS
YES
BA/ BSS
Not Sure
BBA
NO
Figure 04: Need for Learning New Skills
Figure 04 shows what the students think about the need for learning new skills to secure
employment.
As for the BSc/ BEng Students, 97.1% thinks they need to learn new skills to get a job, while
2.9% said they are unsure.
For MBBS/ BDS students, 72.8% thinks they need to learn new skills to advance their careers
while 2.5% said they are not sure about learning new skills. And 24.7% thinks there’s no need
for learning any new skills for the medical students.
As for the BSS/ BA students, 93.2% thinks that there’s a huge need to learn a new skill while
6.8% are unsure.
For BBA students, 92.6% thinks that they need to learn new skills while 7.4% are unsure. And
nobody thinks that there’s no need for learning any new skills.
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MBA After Undergraduation
120.00%
98.90%
100.00%
90.70%
80.00%
60.00%
43.70%
51.10%
49.10%
43.60%
40.00%
20.00%
7.20%
5.30%
1.10%
0.00%
9.30%
0.00%
0.00%
BSc/ Beng
MBBS/ BDS
Yes
BA/BSS
No
BBA
Others
Figure 05: Desire for an MBA Degree After Graduation
As for BSc/ BEng students, 43.7% showed interest in getting an MBA after completing under
graduation, while 49.1% showed no interest in getting an MBA degree. About 7.2% have other
opinions.
For MBBS/ BDS, 98.9% showed no interest in getting an MBA degree while 1.1% have other
opinions. None showed any interest in getting a MBA degree.
As for BA/ BSS, 43.6% showed interest in getting an MBA degree while 51.1% showed no
interest. 5.3% have different opinions.
For BBA graduates, 90.7% shows that they want to have an MBA degree while 9.3% doesn’t
have any interest in getting the MBA degree. Nobody showed any different opinions.
17
Desire to Change Job Sector
91.40%
BBA
6.60%
2.00%
37.20%
BA/ BSS
13%
49.80%
94.60%
MBBS/ BDS
4.40%
1.00%
BSC/ BENG
2.00%
8.90%
89.10%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
NO
50.00%
Not Sure
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
100.00%
Yes
Figure 06: Desire to Change Job Sector
As for the BBA students, 91.4% showed no desire to change their job sector while 6.6% are
unsure of changing. About 2% showed interest in chnaging their job sector.
For BA/BSS students, 37.2% showed no desire to change their job sector, while 13% says they
are unsure about this matter. About 49.8% showed interest in switching their career path from
their field of major.
As for MBBS/ BDS students, 94.6% says they’re not interested in switching their field of
medical studies. 4.4% says they are unsure while 1% showed interest in changing their career
from the field of medical studies.
For BSc/ BEng Majors, 89.1% showed no interest in changing their field of study and career,
while 2% said they’re unsure. About 8.9% says that they will change their job sector from the
majors they studied in university.
18
NEED OF INTERNSHIP
Yes
Not Sure
No
120.00%
100.00%
98%
93.20%
97%
91.60%
80.00%
60.00%
40.00%
20.00%
6.80%
0.00%
2.40% 0.00%
8.40%
0.00%
2.70% 0.00%
0.00%
BSc/ Beng
MBBS/ BDS
BA/ BSS
BBA
Figure 07: Need Of Internship
As for BSc/ BEng, 93.2% said internship opportunity during under graduation years is important,
while 6.8% says they’re not sure.
For MBBS/ BDS students, 98% says there’s a need for internship opportunities in their
curriculum while 2.4% said they are not sure about doing internships.
As for BA/ BSS students, 91.6% thinks there is a need for internship programs while 8.4% said
their unsure.
For BBA graduates, 97% thinks there is a great need for internship programs while 2.7% said
they are not sure about the need of internship opportunities.
From the figure, we can see that none from all the four categories said there’s no need for an
internship opportunity.
19
DESIRE TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR
Yes
100.00%
No
Others
92.60%
90.00%
80.00%
79.60%
72.50%
70.00%
60.20%
60.00%
50.00%
36.10%
40.00%
30.00%
27.50%
20.40%
20.00%
10.00%
7.40%
0.00%
3.70%
0%
0.00%
0.00%
BSc/ Beng
MBBS/ BDS
BA/BSS
BBA
Figure 08: Desire to be an Entrepreneur
As for BSc/ BEng majors, 72.5% said they’d start their own business if they can get enough
funding, while 27.5% said they do not have any desire to start their own business.
For MBBS/ BDS students, nobody showed any interest in opening their own business but 92.6%
said they other opinions, which is if they get enough funding, they will open their own medical
practice center or medical chambers. 7.4% showed no interest in starting their own business.
As for BA/ BSS students, 60.2% says that they will start their own business if they get the
opportunity and funding, while 36.1% says they have no desire to open their own business. 3.7%
said they have other plans.
For BBA graduates, 79.6% showed great interest in opening their own business if they have the
opportunity and funding, while 20.4% said they do not have any desire to be an entrepreneur.
None said to have any different plans.
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UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM
SATISFACTION
Very Dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Neutral
Satisfied
Very Satisfied
60%
48.10%
50%
42.60%
38.30%
40%
35.80%
33.30%
30.50%
30%
36.80%
25.10%
29.60%
22.20%
16.70%
20%
10%
8.60%
6%
11.10%
8.30%
0.00%
6.80%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0%
BSc/ Beng
MBBS/ BDS
BA/ BSS
BBA
Figure 09: Undergraduate Curriculum Satisfaction
As for the BSc/ BEng students, 6% said they were very dissatisfied with their curriculum
expression, while 38.3% said they were neutral. 30.5% said they were dissatisfied while 25.1%
said they were satisfied with their current curriculum.
For the MBBS/ BDS students, 8.6% showed great dissatisfaction, while 35.8% showed
neutrality. About 33.3% showed dissatisfaction while 22.2 showed satisfaction.
As for the BA/ BSS students, 8.3% showed severe dissatisfaction while 48.1% said they are
neutral. About 36.8% showed dissatisfaction while 6.8 showed satisfaction.
For BBA students, 16.7% showed great dissatisfaction while 42.6% showed neutrality. About
29.6% showed dissatisfaction while 11.1% showed satisfaction.
21
Mental Health Problem During Undergraduation Years
Not Sure
10%
No
16%
Yes
74%
Yes
No
Not Sure
Figure 10: Mental Health Problems faced during Under-graduation Years
Out of students from all categories said that 74$ of them have experienced mental health
problems during their undergraduate years, while 10% said they are unsure. But 16% said they
didn’t face any mental health problems like stress, burn out, depression during their
undergraduate years
Mental Health Support From Instituition
Maybe
14%
Yes
32%
No
54%
Yes
No
Maybe
Figure 11: Mental Health Support from Institutions
About 54% students said their educational students didn’t have any facilities that would help
them recover from their mental health problems faced during the under-graduation years. 32%
said their institution have support system, while 14% are unsure about the support system.
22
07. Significance of the Results:
From the results above, we can see that many of the students from all four categories shows
dissatisfaction toward their current under graduation curriculum, while the other majority
showed neutrality. (Figure 09) This level of dissatisfaction was proved to be truth when we
observe Figure 03, students from all four categories believes there needs to be a change in their
current under graduation curriculum. Then followed by Figure 04 and Figure 07, we can see that
these students from four categories agrees that learning new skills for the advancement of their
career is a must and the need for internship opportunities will help them get the actual work
experience. From Figure 05, apart from the BBA students, the rest three categories of students
didn’t show much interest in getting an MBA degree upon completing their current under
graduation degree. From Figure 06, we can observe that none of the students from either
category showed any interest in changing their job sector from the major they are pursuing. In
Figure 08, students from all categories showed great enthusiasm in starting their own business if
they are equipped with proper funding and opportunities. In the last two figures, Figure 10 and
Figure 11, we can observe that a great deal of students faced severe mental health problems
during their under-graduation years while most of these student’s institution didn’t provide and
support these students with proper counselling sessions and with professional help.
In recent days, students have been losing interest in getting business degrees (BBA, MBA) as the
capacity of this industry-based job market is already occupied. Students, nowadays, are moving
toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) also agriculture and
pharmacy-based majors. There has been huge demand for these fields as the future is more
digitalized and upgrading faster than before. Also, to overcome the fourth industrial revolution,
the demand of science and technology will be skyrocketing. The government has also started
relying on digitalization and ICT, the country is in dire need of technology based and
engineering major graduates who would be able to help overcome the future obstacles. (Alo,
2021) Then the emergence of work integrated learning (WIL) methods in university curricular
can help generate so many potential skilled future labor forces and it might work as the solution
in mitigating the employment crises currently faced by our current university graduates. WIL is a
common term used to represent a range of pedagogical activities which are designed to enhance
integration of theory into practice. WIL extends across a continuation from low to high levels of
community engagement within on-campus and off-campus paradigms. (Chowdhury, 2020)
08. Limitations:
Since the research was conducted based on an online survey amidst the pandemic, there are
limitations as well as shortcomings in the study. Only short and straightforward questions were
asked with a few complexes, open-ended, tedious questions. The answers that were received
have been accepted as final for no scope remaining beyond. This study is confined to only a
small population of university students of Dhaka city, and it also relies on information available
23
in relevant literature. Thus, the findings from this research are limited to these resources. We
were also short on time and resources, and we were not able to include the data and information
from Law and Pharmacy majors as their majors are slightly different than the other four
categories we worked through our whole paper. Another limitation we have in our paper that we
were not able to collect information and opinion from the perspectives of university authorities.
09.Conclusion:
To improve the quality of students and teachers, facilities and opportunities should be provided
to encourage research, higher education, and self-improvement on a national and international
level. Universities should prioritize disciplines relevant to the demands of Bangladesh's rising
society while creating and expanding departments. Simultaneously, they must meet some
popular needs to produce teachers and professionals. Universities might profit from employing
instructors and administrators retired from public universities/institutions at ages when they are
still capable of intellectual contribution and administrative competence when it comes to
attracting suitable staff. It is also vital to appoint teachers and personnel through thorough
selection rather than personal referrals for quality assurance. To improve the English language
situation, systematic efforts are required to give suitable training to English instructors at the
school level, to strengthen their ethical values through better rewards, and to ensure their safety
from political or influential pressures/vandalism. Impartial Government action, in the form of
continuous oversight and monitoring, is required to ensure that a good academic atmosphere is
maintained by recruiting quality through lucrative emoluments and encouragement. Libraries and
laboratories need to be expanded and appropriately equipped with high-quality books, journals,
and cutting-edge technology.
Due to the uncertainty of employment crises and the current university curriculum, university
students face severe mental health problems these days. Depression is one of them. Depression
affects university students' health, brain development, quality of life, behavior, educational
attainment, and other aspects of their lives, as well as their families, institutions, and even the
lives of others. As a result, depression can affect a student's quality of life, potentially leading to
suicide behavior. As a result, the government should take appropriate steps such as creating
awareness programs, intervening with pupils at risk as soon as possible, and providing them with
competent, affordable psychiatric treatment. Furthermore, university administrations should take
appropriate actions to eliminate campus "ragging" cultures. Furthermore, authorities should
designate a psychologist or psychiatric nurse for each department and institute, if practicable, to
help students with their mental health.
Bangladesh demands a skilled, innovative, and competitive workforce as it gradually emerges as
an economy with progress, more global mobility, and rapid economic output. Education is a
critical method for preparing the present population to meet the evolving job market's current
24
demands. Work integrated learning (WIL) along with the integration of ICT and STEM are the
new buzzword that emphasizes the combination of academic studies and professional operations.
Work Integrated Learning can be a useful tool for Higher Educational Institutes in Bangladesh to
help its graduates gain the necessary employability skills to succeed in today's competitive job
climate. Universities must design new work-oriented courses that will enhance students' work
experience and general skills. This can be accomplished in Bangladesh by including WIL into
the curriculum at the tertiary level. Enhancing the students’ skillset with new and updated soft
skill will help students secure employment, with the help of the soft skills, these students will be
able to further advance their career.
25
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