Dhaka: The decision to impose Value-added Tax (VAT) on education and the reduction of government funding are no accident, eminent scholar Professor Serajul Islam Chowdhury observed at a programme held at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) on Friday, 16 October 2015.

The government is spending in unproductive sectors at the expense of education, and our universities are fast turning away from research and publications, he added.

Professor Chowdhury was attending the inauguration of ULAB’s MA in English as the chief guest with Vice-chancellor Professor Imran Rahman in the chair and Professor Kaiser Haq in attendance.

Highlighting the importance of liberal arts, Chowdhury maintained that unless we delve into the spirit of time we will not be able to see how the system is producing incomplete men and women. He appreciated ULAB’s MA syllabus where there is a unique option of pursuing a degree in creative writing.

From Fall 2015, ULAB has started its MA programme with specialisations on literature and cultural studies, language and applied linguistics, literature and creative writing.

Speaking at the occasion, Imran Rahman asserted that UGC should allow private universities to offer research degrees such as MPhil and PhD given the expertise and resources that they have.

‘We take pride in our stellar faculty who are capable of undertaking research students and producing works of international calibre,’ he claimed. 

The inaugural session was followed by a panel discussion — English Departments: Then, Now and Beyond — where successful English graduates who have become role models talked about the shaping influence of English studies.

Taking part in the discussion Ambassador Muhammad Zamir stressed on the needs for learning a second language. Project director of Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP) Dr Gauranga Chandra Mohanta, shared government’s vision of establishing a world-class research library. 

Additional managing director of City Bank Mashrur Arefin mentioned how his familiarity with literary authors had helped him to strike many business deals worth millions of dollars.

‘There is something in literature that keeps us human and makes us connect with humanity,’ he said.

The same ideas were shared by singer performer Mehreen who felt that the English department has given her insight into humanity. The moderator of the panel Professor Fakrul Alam also talked about the humanising factor of literature, and how it can be used to learn language.

The programme ended with a vote of thanks by the advisor of Department of English and Humanities, Professor Shamsad Mortuza.