85 percent of teachers at Jashore science and technology university have no PhD

Although Jashore University of Science and Technology (JUST) has improved its position in international university rankings, the picture of its teachers' higher research degrees is not satisfactory. Only 15 percent of the university's teachers hold a PhD degree. The remaining 85 percent have no PhD.

The institution also lags behind in the teacher-student ratio. There, there is only one teacher for every 33 students.

The QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027, published by the UK-based higher education and research ranking organisation Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), presents data on indicators including universities' teacher-student ratios and the rate of teachers holding PhDs. The ranking was published on November 3.

According to QS data, the rate of PhD-holding teachers at JUST is significantly lower than at several of the country's top universities.

More than half of the teachers at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) hold PhD degrees. Among science and technology universities, about 37 percent of teachers at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) are PhD holders. At the University of Dhaka, the rate is about 26 percent. Compared with BUET, SUST and Dhaka University, JUST is well behind.

In particular, the large gap with SUST, an institution of a similar level, in the proportion of PhD-holding teachers has raised questions about the quality of teacher recruitment and research capacity at JUST.

The weakness in the teacher-student ratio may also become a cause of concern for the university's academic activities. Without enough teachers, there is a risk that students' teaching, theoretical and practical education and research opportunities will suffer.

According to educationists, progress in international rankings is undoubtedly positive. But an improvement in ranking position alone does not fully reflect the quality of a university's education and research capacity. For that, fundamental matters such as creating opportunities for teachers to earn higher degrees, increasing funding for research and appointing the teachers needed must also be given importance.

Highlighting the importance of PhD-holding teachers at a university, Professor Dr Engineer Imran Khan of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering said: 'A PhD makes a researcher skilled in research methods, securing funding and creating new knowledge.'

He said: 'As well as inspiring students to do research, PhD-holding teachers also play a role in increasing international cooperation. So there is no alternative to PhD-holding teachers for maintaining a university's research environment.'

Considering the age of JUST, he sees 15 percent of teachers holding PhDs as an initial achievement.

Professor Imran Khan also pointed to the lack of effective initiatives in the country to create PhD-holding teachers and to retain them. He said that although the number of universities in the country has grown, there are no effective initiatives to create PhD-holding teachers and keep them.

He added that many who go to developed countries for a PhD do not return to the country. A lack of research opportunities, a shortage of laboratories, low salaries and political influence in recruitment make it difficult to attract qualified researchers to universities.

He said that, unlike countries such as China and India, which have special programmes to bring talented people back, Bangladesh has none.

He urged the government to take effective steps to bring back teachers who have gone abroad for PhDs.