Logo of East West University (EWU)
East West University-EWU has emerged as one of the greatest private universities in the country and has already proven excellent in providing higher education. East West University promotes eastern culture and values, and meaningfully blends eastern and western thought and innovation. This university was officially launched in 1996 under the Private University Act (Act 34) of 1992. Eventually, the first session started in September 1996 with six eminent faculty members and twenty enthusiastic students. Today, the university has 245 highly qualified and trained faculty members and around 5,300 students enrolled through a fiercely competitive process of selection. The university conferred bachelor’s and master’s degrees to 3,774 students in the last eight convocations in various academic disciplines.
Recently this writer interviews Professor Mohammed Sharif, the vice chancellor of East West University.
The full text of the interview is below.
Mahbub Manik: East West University recently celebrated 14th foundation day. How are EWU graduates performing in their career?
Professor Mohammed Sharif: Organizations want more and more graduates from EWU. Recently Prime Bank Ltd declares that they will, with our recommendation, recruit EWU graduates without any written test. We can say that the more organizations get EWU graduates, the more they want.
MM: Really? Is there any one in Prime Bank Board from EWU directors?
Professor Sharif: No. EWU has the reputation as the best university in Bangladesh.
MM: Best University? What are the bases of this claiming?
Professor Sharif: We understand it from our students, guardians, employers of our students, and various surveys. We even feel it from the pressure during admission time. The guardians of students who cannot get admission in the EWU, request us to give an opportunity.
MM: What is the secret of EWU’s success?
Professor Sharif: We follow some principles. It starts from the process of selecting students.
According to University Grants Commission (UGC), the minimum requirement to get admission in universities is GPA 2.5 in HSC. But we require a minimum of GPA 3.00 to apply to EWU. Then they have to go through an intensely competitive written admission test and viva. For example, this semester there are only 550 students out of the 2,200 applicants who could qualify. We do not admit students on the basis of requests and references. Then we impart the right type of education. Students have to cope with the pressure to exist and complete their programs. As a result, our final product that is our graduates becomes the best. As I told you before, companies that have hired some of our graduates want more graduates from EWU.
MM: What is the education method in EWU?
The profile of the VC:
Professor Sharif obtained his BA (Hons) and MA in Economics from the University of Dhaka and MA in Political Economy and Ph.D. from Boston University. He taught at the University of Chittagong before going for higher studies in the USA. After completing his Ph.D., he joined the University of Rhode Island and taught there as Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor for 22 years.
Prof. Sharif has published two books and many scholarly articles in international journals including Cambridge Journal of Economics.
While working in the USA, he has been very active in multi-cultural, multi-racial, and interfaith activities for which he has been awarded many citations.
Professor Sharif obtained his BA (Hons) and MA in Economics from the University of Dhaka and MA in Political Economy and Ph.D. from Boston University. He taught at the University of Chittagong before going for higher studies in the USA. After completing his Ph.D., he joined the University of Rhode Island and taught there as Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor for 22 years.
Prof. Sharif has published two books and many scholarly articles in international journals including Cambridge Journal of Economics.
While working in the USA, he has been very active in multi-cultural, multi-racial, and interfaith activities for which he has been awarded many citations.
Professor Sharif: The formal system of teaching in Bangladesh is teacher delivers lecture on a prepared topic, students take notes of those and memorize and reproduce them in the exam. There are teacher who use same lecture notes year after year. This system cannot help student to grow and develop our society and nation. For example, I know some teachers who use the textbook that is written in 1960. EWU doesn’t allow this to happen. We ask our teachers to engage in research regularly and publish their findings in various national and international conferences and journals. Thus, they learn the most up-to-date developments in their subjects and take this knowledge to their students in the classrooms. More importantly, they create and add to the latest knowledge through their publications and transmit it to their students. According to Research Bangla that has evaluated all the private universities, East West University topped the list with 885 articles published in 2009. Only 283 articles were published by the university which came in second.
Therefore, through performing research our teachers create new knowledge and stay updated.
In addition, we ask our teachers to go down to the level of the students to understand and know them better. We ask them to know students problems and help them solve those. We ask our teachers to build curiosity in the students mind, so that they can create new knowledge by themselves. We believe the best job of a teacher is to discover students’ interest and hidden talents. Every student has some talent. Teachers’ responsibility is to inspire them to unleash their hidden talent and potential.
The research and scholarship of our teachers have generated the best result a university can boost off. One of our faculty members has been awarded a gold medal as ‘The Best Scientist’ by the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences. Another one has earned the UGC award for his scholarship. Still another one has been awarded the membership in the Third World Academy of Sciences and Royal Chemical Society.
MM: That’s great sir. Can you now inform us what is the impact of these initiatives on the students?
Professor Sharif: Believe me, the impact is tremendous. Our students now write research papers and many of those are published in international conferences and journals. We sponsor our students to participate in international conferences. Some of our students have participated in international conference in the USA, South Korea, Malaysia, etc. On the basis of their performance at the conference, some of them got the offer of admission in Ph.D. programs with scholarships.
MM: Really inspiring. One of the major allegations against private universities is that the rich can only study there. Do you agree with this?
Professor Sharif: No, I do not agree at all, at least in the case of EWU. Most of our students are from middle class. They come to the campus by buses and CNG taxi. Many of our students do part timework to earn tuition fees.
On the other hand, we provide scholarship to poor but meritorious students. Last year we gave way Tk 3 cr and 24 lacs as merit scholarships and other financial assistance. Besides, we start to award full free studentship to seven students from seven divisions of the country who earn GPA 5 in HSC. With that we are also bearing all expenses of these students that includes accommodation, food, and cost of educational materials. We also provide financial support to the sons and daughters of freedom fighters with financial needs.
MM: Beautiful. Another allegation against private universities is that they only promote BBA and MBA. Because, these courses generate easy money for the universities. Especially they do not offer courses that require laboratory and investment. Is it sir?
Professor Sharif: In EWU, we do not do that. We have been investing in all departments. We recently have built a state-of-the-art computing lab that cost us one crore taka. We have a rich laboratory for pharmacy department. We have a language lab, a network lab, and electronic lab. We are very liberal to build infrastructures and facilities.
MM:Sir I am enthusiastically interested to know one thing. I heard from many people that private universities are the money making machine. Founders take all the money to their home. What about EWU? Are EWU founders and directors channeling money to their bank account?
Professor Sharif: I frequently hear it too. Probably this may happen in many universities. But EWU directors and founders do not take money as remuneration or profit at the end of the year. They are not doing business.
MM: Thank you very much sir for giving your time and answering me.
Professor Sharif: Thank you too. And I promise best education for upcoming students of East West University.
This interview is originally published at >> Weekly Economic Times
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