My Proposal for Resolving the Seven-College Crisis

The University of London was officially established in 1836 through a Royal Charter. At that time, it was not a teaching university; rather, its primary role was conducting examinations and awarding degrees. The responsibility of teaching was carried out by two institutions—University College London (UCL) and King’s College London (KCL). This dual structure of teaching and degree-granting established a new model in higher education that later became a global standard.

In the late nineteenth century, a fundamental transformation occurred in the structure of the University of London. In 1900, it was reorganized as a federal university. This meant multiple autonomous colleges were linked under a central university, yet each institution maintained its own identity, administration, and academic specialization. Gradually, significant institutions like the London School of Economics (LSE), Goldsmiths, Queen Mary, the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), and Birkbeck College were added.

As a result, the University of London became a multidimensional academic federation. Today, it stands as a world-class academic federation. Its member institutions include UCL, KCL, LSE, Queen Mary, Birkbeck, Goldsmiths, Royal Holloway, SOAS, London Business School, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. There is also the School of Advanced Study, dedicated primarily to higher research in the humanities and social sciences.

Over time, changes have occurred within the federation. Imperial College London became an independent university in 2007, yet it did not change its name to include "University." Bedford College merged with Royal Holloway, and the philosophy and theology-based Heythrop College closed in 2018. These changes prove that the University of London is not a stagnant structure; rather, it is an adaptive institution that aligns itself with time and reality.

This is precisely where the difference lies between them and us. The primary condition for becoming advanced is to be adaptive. The University of Calcutta was also formed on the model of the University of London. Herein lies the difference between Dhaka University and Calcutta University. Instead of being modeled after London, Dhaka University was modeled after the University of Oxford. This is why Dhaka University is called the "Oxford of the East." But the problem is that instead of becoming advanced through adaptation, we have faced decline.

Our National University’s model should have been based on the University of London. A system for the seven colleges of Dhaka city could have also been formed based on the London model. I once proposed transforming the seven colleges into a university modeled after London or Calcutta. I suggested developing these seven colleges like UCL, KCL, LSE, or Queen Mary. There would be a central system under which the administration and examination system would operate.

UCL or University College London has "College" in its name, yet it is one of the top ten universities in the world. Nothing depends on the name. It depends on the quality of the teachers. I said that to improve this, instead of the BCS Education Cadre, a world-class teacher recruitment method should be followed to create institutions with world-class salaries.

By developing it as a federal university, use the names of these traditional colleges to create "feeder" institutions—that is, high-quality "School and Colleges" up to Higher Secondary level—where BCS Education Cadre officers can teach. This would be the best way to resolve the seven-college problem.

Colleges under the University of Calcutta are performing well because they previously only taught three-year Honors. Very recently, they introduced four-year Honors. The point is, there was no Higher Secondary there. Where there is Honors, Higher Secondary cannot exist under the same administration and teachers. We have created this "mishmash" (joga-khichuri). But this should not be dragged on any longer.

If Honors is to be taught in a college, every teacher must have a minimum of a PhD. If this is done, it doesn't matter what we call it. The problem is that many of those involved in the movement are individual parties—all of whom are prioritizing their own interests. When thinking about building an institution, one must keep the country on a large screen and think macroscopically.

Dr Kamrul Hassan Mamun is professor in the Department of Physics at Dhaka University. He can be reached at khassan@du.ac.bd.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own.