Stretching the private university rules, nine privately run higher educational institutions are operating 65 campuses in the capital and elsewhere across the country right under the noses of the administration.
According to the Private Universities Act-2010, private universities cannot run branch campuses, but things are going against the tide.
Information available at University Grants Commission shows nine such universities are operating campuses unlawfully in the name of outer and branch campuses elsewhere.
Southern University, Darul Ihsan University, BGC Trust University, IBAIS University, International Islamic University Chittagong, Northern University, University of Information Technology and Sciences, America Bangladesh University and Sonargaon University own those campuses.
Some have continued to run through a stay of execution while others are operating illegally as if they are escaping the long arm of the law.
It was learnt that the regulatory commission has been running legal battles against some of the wilful universities to this end.
Mauli Azad, senior assistant secretary (legal wing) at UGC, said there is no lack of goodwill gesture from the UGC’s side to stop unapproved campuses.
“We hope we’ll be able to pull the plug on those outer and unauthorised campuses within the shortest possible time,” she told daily sun.
Sources said some universities even have one to 13 campuses in a single city. Darul Ihsan University single-handedly operates 29 campuses.
Despite the rules being bent, education ministry and UGC continue to reward these institutions in some ways instead of taking any punitive action.
UGC officials said the ministry evicted several more unapproved campuses of Darul Ihsan in some districts with the administration’s help.
BGC Trust University, located at Chandnaish of Chittagong, runs an unapproved campus along OR Nizam Road in the port city for over four years.
The government seems to have sit tight and take no notice of the matter. Such freewill gesture of the university encourages others to break the law and set up such campuses unlawfully.
Contacted, BGC Trust University Vice-chancellor Saroj Kanti Singh Hazari said they have contacted the authorities to get approval of the OR Road campus.
“The UGC has thousands of laws but not a single university follows those completely… We’re negotiating for getting approval for the campus.”
The VC said both the education ministry and UGC are satisfied with their activities. “The ministry praised us just four to five days ago. The UGC also gave us a 1.38-crore project last month.”
IBAIS University operates two branch campuses in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur and Uttara-7 zones illegally. VC Prof Humayun Kabir, however, claimed they have no links with the campuses.
IIUC illegally runs five campuses—Bahaddarhat (female branch), Karnaphuli Bhaban, Fairy Shopping Mall, Gulzar Tower and Chotteshwari Road in port city.
Northern University operates two campuses at Khulna and Rajshahi. UGC gave them temporary approval to continue activities there till December 31, 2017.
Many believe such approval to Northern University may encourage others to commit unlawful acts further.
University of Information Technology and Sciences runs two campuses at Rajshahi and Chittagong with the UGC’s ‘favour’.
Southern University is doing the same thing. It operates seven illegal campuses at Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Kushtia and Rangpur. The court has directed authorities concerned to evict these illegal campuses of the university.
The newly established Sonargaon University applied to UGC to approve a campus on Green Road but failed to get clearance of the supervisory body of higher education.
America Bangladesh University runs 16 campuses illegally across the country. Of them, 13 are in Dhaka and others are in Gazipur, Bogra and Rajshahi.
Currently, the country has 91 private universities. Seats for students stay vacant at most universities as they are failing to maintain academic standards.
Statistics show 49 per cent seats remain vacant on allegations of doing business and selling certificates in the name of providing higher education, questioning the acceptance of private institutions.