AI, Apathy, and Academic Decline: NU VC Decries Education Crisis
“Students are using AI on their mobile phones to write answers in the exam hall, while the principal sits quietly sipping tea,” shared National University (NU) Vice-Chancellor A S M Amanullah, recounting his own experience. Speaking on Sunday, August 10, at a dialogue titled “365 Days of the Interim Government”, he remarked, “The situation is so dire that it is difficult to find responsible teachers.”
The event, held at a hotel in Gulshan, Dhaka, was organized by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), a private research organization. At the session, the NU Vice-Chancellor stated that the country’s largest university is producing “examinees, not students.” In his view, there is virtually no link between the curriculum and examination system with industry or the job market.
Highlighting weaknesses in the NU examination system, he said, “Here, a physics teacher inputs marks for philosophy. Despite having no laboratories, many colleges award full marks in chemistry, physics, and biology exams. Even in colleges that do have labs, no activities take place. Without lab work, students are passing chemistry and physics. How are we supposed to get out of this situation?”
He added that there is a shortage of qualified teachers to conduct exams. “In 400 upazilas, we cannot find four teachers. Whichever branch we grab, it breaks. Whoever we rely on, something comes up. Such a dire situation is prevailing that it is hard to find a responsible teacher. Out of 10 teachers, they are divided into three groups.”
The VC also noted that while large companies do hire NU graduates, “they tend to have lower skills and ambitions, making them easy to manipulate and keep engaged for a long time.”
Other participants in the dialogue included Interim Government Adviser for Shipping Brigadier General (Retd.) M Sakhawat Hossain, Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur, BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, and CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince. The keynote paper was presented by CPD Executive Director Fahmida Khatun.
