Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milan has said punitive action will be taken against private universities in Bangladesh that fail to meet required academic standards.

He made the remarks on Saturday afternoon while addressing the “Vice-Chancellor Dialogue: Shaping the Future of Higher Education” organized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) at the BRAC CDM Centre in Savar, Dhaka.

The minister said many private universities in the country are not maintaining satisfactory standards and should be identified so that appropriate action can be taken. He emphasized that the UGC must play a key role in monitoring and improving the quality of higher education.

Stressing the importance of research, Milan said the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is prioritizing research and has already allocated 2% of GDP to the education budget, with plans to gradually increase it to 5%.

He said greater investment in research would help address the funding challenges faced by universities and create more opportunities for research, including at private universities.

The minister also highlighted the importance of “reverse brain drain,” saying Bangladeshi teachers and students have achieved significant success abroad, particularly in research. He called for efforts to bring talented academics and researchers back to Bangladesh and utilize their expertise.

Milan also stressed the importance of establishing postgraduate universities in Bangladesh and urged authorities to identify and eliminate areas of unnecessary expenditure to support the country’s overall development.