The constant violence of student politics at Bangladesh's public universities pushed many students—especially from affluent backgrounds—to seek higher education at more peaceful, relatively violence-free private universities.
Private universities have beaten their public counterparts in enrolment of international students in a dramatic turn of events over the last couple of years, according to a report by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Officials say the policy was drawn up based on interest expressed by a number of foreign universities and their branches, considering the growing number of higher education aspirants in the country. However, academics and private university stakeholders have expressed fear that the policy, which is currently under the Law Ministry’s vetting, would create discrimination between the foreign and local universities and would allow substandard universities from abroad to flood Bangladesh’s education arena.