Article-8 Innovations in Higher Education by Defence Services of Bangladesh: Challenges and Consequences

Abstract

Defence services of Bangladesh run three public and four private universities including good number of affiliated colleges, academies, institutes, centres and schools. They show lot of innovations and edupreneurship in expanding scopes of higher and tertiary education in Bangladesh quantitatively and qualitatively. These are among 3 international universities, 52 public universities, and 108 private universities in Bangladesh. Defence services provide general, technical, engineering, medical, business, and social education to civilians and military professionals in their universities and higher education institutes. Grammar, logic, and rhetoric: trivium of 7 liberal arts help subsequent learning of quadrivium: arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. STEM: science, technology, engineering and mathematics is given due importance in making curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular contents of military universities effective. Above are being reflected in individual legislative acts including the collective Private Universities Act 2010. Innovations take into considerations the western education systems, valuing real life performances over certifications, discouraging inflated gradings, shunning profit-orientation, tough actions against cronyism and nepotism etc. Military edupreneurships exhibited how COVID 19 and other devil causes are to be faced and dealt with to ensure quality university and higher education in Bangladesh. Our patriotic people, government authorities, and Bangladeshi diaspora abroad have been always optimistic and positive with defence services universities and higher education institutes. Serving and retired armed forces officers and personnel are solely and wholly involved in fulfilling the high hope and expectations for qualitative and quantitative higher education in Bangladesh through innovations and serendipity.