Bangladesh, June 7 -- A government initiative to review Bangladesh's private university laws has triggered a broader debate over the future of higher education governance, with private university leaders warning that some proposed changes to the Private University Act that was initiated by the past Awami League (AL) regime could undermine institutional autonomy, discourage innovation, and make it more difficult for universities to recruit internationally qualified faculty restricting the nation's ability to produce globally competitive professional of the future.

The debate gained momentum following a recent stakeholder consultation convened by the present government to review the Private University Act and related regulations on May 5, ...