Private universities which are yet to move to own campus buildings, will face legal action and bar on enrolling new students, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid warned today.

The minister issued the warning at the 18th convocation of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB). He was the chief guest on behalf of President Abdul Hamid.

There are currently 95 private universities operational in the country. The government allocated 51 of them a specific time to shift to their own campuses. The deadline for the fourth request expired last month.

According to a report by the University Grants Commission (UCG), only 12 private universities are currently operating on their own campuses, while the rest 39 are yet to complete the procedure.

Some of those 39 universities have opened their new campuses partially, some are still undergoing construction, some are yet to begin construction, while one of them has not even legally purchased land for new campus yet, Nahid said.

At the convocation, 1,419 students were awarded degrees at Bachelor’s and Master’s levels.

BRAC Founder and Chairperson Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, UGC Chairman Professor Abdul Mannan, IUB Vice-Chancellor Professor M Omar Rahman and Chairman of IUB Board of Trustee Rashed Choudhury spoke at the event among others.

Founder and Chairperson of BRAC, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, in his address urged the students to broaden their perspectives, ask questions, develop capacity for healthy risk-taking, and learn from their mistakes.

“A true modern education is not just about achieving academic excellence or adding to your store of knowledge. It is about broadening your perspective, asking searching questions, developing your capacity for healthy risk-taking, and learning from your mistakes,” Sir Abed said.

“A modern education also aims to develop an understanding of and empathy with people from different walks of life, including those who have not enjoyed the same opportunities as you,” he added.