In absence of a uniform system, 54 private universities in the country are extracting extremely high fees from the students, making it difficult for most of them to continue their studies.

The North South University (NSU), the first private university of the country established in 1993, at present charging Taka 64,000 from each of the undergraduate students per semester for 12 credits or four courses.

It takes an NSU student at least eight semesters (Four years) to complete his or her courses to pursue the undergraduate course. A number of NSU students complained that it has become very tough for them to continue their studies because of excessive fees and that many of them have to collect the money through part-time jobs.

Mahfuz Matin, a Business Faculty student of NSU said, "It is very difficult for my parents to bear my educational expenses as I have come from a middle class family. I am searching for a part-time job to bear my expenses, he added.

The total fee for a semester is Taka 55,000 at the American International University of Bangladesh (AIUB), Taka 50,500 at the Independent University Bangladesh (IUB) and Taka 50,000 at BRAC University.

The NSU authorities in a recent decision doubled the student activities fee from Taka 1,000 to 2,000, increased Taka 500 for computer lab fee from Taka 1,000 to 1,500, increased Taka 500 per credit hour and Taka 500 as library fee.

Hundreds of students of private-run NSU took to the street and staged demonstration and blocked the Kamal Ataturk Avenue in Banani and locked the vice-chancellor and a number of teachers inside the VC's office on May 9 on the Banani campus to press home their demand against increased fees.

The semester and admission fees have been increased to Taka 13,500 and Taka 25,000 respectively, said Thmina Alam, a student of the last semester.

Authorities made their commitment to the students that there will be no rise in fees for old students when they agitated against fee increase in February last and the authorities broke the commitment and started unilaterally charging increased fees while advising was going on for next semester earlier this month, she said.

The chairman of the University Grants Commission, Professor Nazrul Islam, recently urged the private universities to reduce the tuition fees keeping in consistence with their infrastructure facilities.

Professor Nazrul admitted that under the existing law UGC could not force the private universities to reduce the tuition fees and the cost as well. They should do it by themselves to avert any untoward situation, he added.

Students of a number of private universities have been raising their voice against increase in fees and to reduce those.

'I think students should continue peaceful movement seeking reduction of tuition fees. But the movement should be controlled and rational,' observed the UGC chairman recently.

The private universities should bring down the fees to a level affordable to the students, he added. Dhaka University Emeritus Professor Sirajul Islam Chowdhury said, "In Bangladesh, most of the private universities are like coaching centres. Anyone who has a huge amount of money can set up a university like an investment in a sort of business."

A university means an institution where adequate number of qualified teachers would impart education under several disciplines to good students, has sufficient space, institutes, research centres, libraries, laboratories, and others essential facilities, Only three or four private universities are providing an acceptable level of quality education, he added.

TIB Chairman Prof Muzaffer Ahmed said, "The private universities are charging high fees but do not providing quality education. Their target is to make money."