Insufficient staffing in Delhi University's departments highlights issues in admission processes and academic strategy development.
Dhaka University, one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions in Bangladesh, is facing a challenge with approximately 500 seats remaining vacant in the 2024-25 admission cycle. This issue is not isolated to Dhaka University, as many departments across the university have experienced low enrollment for several years.
Reasons for Low Enrollment and Under-Utilization
Several interrelated factors contribute to the low enrollment and under-utilization of seats at Dhaka University.
- Mismatch with Job Market Needs: The University Grants Commission (UGC) report highlights that many departments in Bangladesh universities, including Dhaka University with its 84 departments and 13 institutes, lack proper alignment with the current job market demands. This mismatch discourages students from enrolling in some departments perceived as less relevant or offering fewer employability prospects.
- Infrastructure and Resource Limitations: Rapid expansion of programs without matching infrastructure growth leads to strained facilities and poor learning environments, which can reduce the attractiveness of certain departments.
- Admission and Administrative Barriers: For international students, complex and lengthy admission procedures involving multiple government agencies significantly hinder enrollment across universities in Bangladesh, including Dhaka University.
- Cost and Accessibility Issues: Despite a high primary school enrollment, the transition to higher education faces bottlenecks due to limited university seats, increasing costs, and economic factors.
- Regulatory and Quality Concerns: The UGC’s enforcement actions on private universities not fulfilling conditions such as shifting to permanent campuses indicate systemic quality concerns that can affect public institutions' reputations and enrollment indirectly.
- Lack of Program Awareness and Relevance: Studies reflect gaps in awareness about certain courses or fields before enrollment decisions are made, indicating a need for better academic counseling and promotional efforts.
Evidence-Based Academic Planning to Address These Issues
Addressing these challenges demands evidence-based academic planning. Some strategies include:
- Curriculum Realignment with Market Needs: Conduct comprehensive labor market analyses periodically to tailor departmental offerings so that programs prepare students for current and emerging job sectors.
- Infrastructure Development Linked to Enrollment Capacity: Plan expansion of classrooms, labs, and facilities based on realistic enrollment projections, improving the quality and appeal of academic environments to attract and retain students.
- Streamlining Admission Processes: Simplify and expedite admission procedures, particularly for international students, via single-window systems and reducing bureaucratic steps to enhance the university’s attractiveness nationally and internationally.
- Financial Aid and Affordability Measures: Implement scholarship programs, flexible tuition schemes, and financial counseling to address economic barriers, especially for disadvantaged students.
- Enhanced Career Counseling and Academic Guidance: Develop robust student advisory services to raise awareness about departmental offerings, career prospects, and emerging fields, helping students make informed enrollment decisions.
- Quality Assurance and Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all departments meet accreditation standards and maintain permanent infrastructure as mandated, building institutional credibility and student confidence.
- Data-Driven Enrollment Management: Use enrollment data analytics to monitor seat utilization continuously, identifying trends early and adjusting intake numbers, marketing strategies, and resource allocation accordingly.
Through combining these evidence-based strategies, Dhaka University can better balance departmental capacities with student demands, improving enrollment rates and optimizing seat utilization systematically. A meeting with the vice-chancellor is planned to decide next steps, as stated by Professor Dr Mostafizur Rahman, convener of DU's online admission committee.
Some departments, such as Geology, Education, Geography, Environmental Science, and newer ones like Television, Film, and Photography, have unfilled seats despite high application volumes. Leather Engineering and Technology programs have nearly two-thirds of their seats unfilled, with 17 vacant seats out of 50 in Leather Engineering, only 29 seats filled in Footwear Engineering, and 41 out of 50 seats remaining empty in the Leather Products department. Many science departments, including Physics, Applied Chemistry, and Electrical and Electronic Engineering, are struggling to fill seats due to strict subject-specific admission criteria.
In conclusion, addressing the low enrollment and under-utilization of seats at Dhaka University requires a comprehensive approach that considers the various factors contributing to this issue. By implementing evidence-based academic planning strategies, Dhaka University can ensure a more balanced enrollment across departments and optimize seat utilization effectively.
- In an effort to address the low enrollment and under-utilization of seats at Dhaka University, it is essential to consider the misalignment between some departments' offerings and the current job market demands in the fields of health-and-wellness, education-and-self-development, general-news, and science.
- To enhance the attractiveness of science departments with unfilled seats, such as Physics, Applied Chemistry, and Electrical and Electronic Engineering, it would be beneficial to streamline the admission processes and offer financial aid and affordability measures for students aiming to pursue careers in these fields.
