Quality assurance of business education in Bangladesh

Business education involves teaching students the fundamentals, theories, and processes of business. Education in this field occurs at several levels, including secondary education and higher education or university education, with the greatest activity in the latter. Business education typically prepares students for an occupation in business or a business-related field, or a teaching career in academia.

At the graduate school level, students can seek a variety of specific degrees, most often an MBA. Students pursuing postgraduate degrees usually have some prior business experience. In Bangladesh there are numerous institutions which are providing business education including public and private universities. So here comes the question of quality. Are all these institutions providing quality education? Certainly not, especially in Bangladesh perspective. But how can we say that or how can we measure the quality of education.

Measuring the Quality of Education

How to measure the quality of education of an institution? As there is no standardization body in Bangladesh, the question of quality remains unresolved. There are some online ranking of the institutions, which does not reflect true quality assurance. So the discussion on measuring the education quality was very much important and demanding. The speaker discussed the issue with some valid logical points. The discussed points are explained here. According to the speech, quality of education can be measured based on several criteria like:

1. Market demand of graduates

2. Admission in foreign universities

3. Research & publication

4. Credit transfer

5. Affiliations

1. Market demand of graduates

One of the evaluation criteria could be the market demand of the graduates. After completion of the degree how many graduates are being employed by the renowned corporate houses. Definitely all the students make way of their career paths but not all of them are captured by the renowned corporate houses. Here the market value of the graduates is determined by the academic institution. There are some corporate houses which specifically mention some institutions to seek resume. So this can be a quality parameter to measure the quality of education of any institution.

2. Admission in foreign universities

Admission percentage of the said institutions in different foreign institutions can also be a criterion for evaluation of an institution. Many students apply for higher education after completing their graduation of post graduation. But the renowned foreign institutions have pre-requisite for admission and do not accept all the education programs. In this case also, how many students from a specific institution are admitted in foreign institutions, can be an evaluation criteria.

3. Research & publication

One of the important parameter of evaluation of an institution is the range of research work and related publications. Most of the renowned institutions are rich in research work and publications. The more the institution is research oriented, the more prestigious the institution is. Quality research work requires quality researcher and well equipped facility and fund to carry on the research work.

4. Credit transfer

Some students may wish to migrate from one country to other and may wish to transfer his/her credit to the new country, new institution. But the new institution may not accept the credit of an institution that they consider as non-qualified as per their standard. Thus, acceptance of credit can be an evaluation criterion for an institution.

5. Affiliation

Some institutions have affiliation with other international institutes. All institutions can not qualify for affiliation with a standard institution. Thus affiliation with a standard and renowned institution can be an evaluation criterion for an institution.

Instruments to Assure Quality Education

So far we have discussed the evaluation criteria of quality assurance in business education. But how these evaluation criteria can be fulfilled? In the seminar the speaker focused on this issue too.

There are several instruments that can be used to ensure the quality of education. These are as follows:

1. Quality of syllabus

2. Faculty members

3. Discipline of students and teachers

4. Selective in admitting students

5. Infrastructure and facilities

6. Good governance

7. Accreditation council

1. Quality of syllabus

A quality syllabus and course outline is necessary to ensure quality of education. The syllabus must meet the international standard so that the program is recognized globally. Moreover the syllabus must be objective oriented so that the graduates get proper value in the job market.

2. Faculty members

The faculty members, who will be teaching the courses, must be well qualified. They must have adequate academic qualification with remarkable result in the relevant field. Practical knowledge from corporate world is also essential especially for some applied education programs like MBA, Pharmacy, Telecommunication etc.

3. Discipline of students and teachers

Quality of any service depends a lot on discipline. A strictly maintained administrative system is necessary for both students are teachers so that the institution runs smoothly. Quality education can not be ensured if the students are not attending the class or the teachers are giving proper time or not taking class regularly. Time management is an important factor here. System should be developed in such a manner so that the components follow the system in an automated way.

4. Selective in admitting students

Not all students deserve to study any subject. There are some minimum qualifications and pre-requisites. The institution must be selective in admitting students for their education programs. Entry examination, track records, pre-requisites etc. can be applied to scrutinize the applied students and select the proper candidates for the programs.

5. Infrastructure and facilities

Infrastructure and facilities are the logical support for both students and teachers. A campus, classrooms, exam hall, library, computer lab, research lab, multimedia support, air conditioning, online communication, auditorium, student lounge, canteen etc. are very essential logical supports. If an institution doesn’t provide these supports, it can not provide quality education.

6. Good governance

An institution needs different logical supports from the Government. Thus an influential governing body should be there so that institution can keep a liaison with the ministry and the Government. A balanced strategic executive committee is also essential which will provide financial and logical support to the institution. Moreover a qualified administrative and management body is essential to run the organization properly.

7. Accreditation council

Any quality management system should have a check and balance method. An independent third party auditor can serve the purpose. Accreditation council is such type of assurance body. Ratings from accreditation council can also be a criterion for quality assurance of education.

A limited number of private universities in Bangladesh are providing quality education. Among them North South University stands number one in the country. The university meets all the evaluation standards and reigns supreme for last few of years.