A university degree is widely regarded as a passport to a better future in Bangladesh. For generations, families have invested their savings and young people have devoted years of their lives to higher education, hoping that a degree will open doors to meaningful employment and a more secure future.

Yet, as graduate unemployment rises and employers continue to report gaps between the skills they need and those graduates possess, questions are emerging about what universities are actually preparing students for. Beyond earning good grades and securing certificates, are graduates learning to think independently, question established ideas, solve unfamiliar problems, and apply their knowledge in the real world?

The concerns are reflected in several studies on Bangladesh’s graduate workforce. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics’ Labour Force Survey 2024, the number of unemployed university graduates reached 906,000 in 2023, up from 799,000 in 2022. Although unemployment figures alone cannot establish whether graduates lack critical-thinking skills, they underline the growing challenges surrounding the transition from university to employment.

A study by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), presented in December 2024, offers another perspective. Based on a survey of 1,639 graduates from 515 National University-affiliated colleges, it found that academic grades did not significantly determine employment status. Previous work experience, including internships and part-time jobs, was associated with better employment prospects.

The findings also highlighted the disadvantages faced by graduates of under-resourced colleges, where limited career guidance, weak industry connections and insufficient practical training can restrict opportunities.

The gap between academic achievement and workplace readiness has also been documented in more recent research. A February 2026 study published in Industry and Higher Education, which examined employers’ perspectives on graduate readiness in Bangladesh, reported an average skills mismatch of 60.78% based on a survey of 85 employers. The gaps included analytical thinking, problem-solving, technical competence, critical thinking and interpersonal skills.

The researchers pointed to outdated teaching methods, weak university-industry collaboration and the need to modernise curricula as factors contributing to the mismatch.

Taken together, these findings raise a fundamental question about the purpose of higher education. If a student can achieve a high cumulative grade point average (CGPA) but struggles to apply classroom knowledge to an unfamiliar problem, what does that academic achievement really demonstrate?

Good grades matter. They can reflect discipline, subject knowledge and the ability to meet academic requirements. But they do not necessarily show whether a student can independently assess evidence, challenge an assumption, connect ideas from different fields or develop an original solution.

These abilities lie at the heart of critical thinking, an essential skill in almost every profession. They enable a business graduate to evaluate an investment beyond the figures presented, a journalist to distinguish credible evidence from misleading claims, an engineer to identify weaknesses in a proposed design and a researcher to question whether the available data support a particular conclusion.

Critical thinking is not simply about disagreeing with others or questioning everything. It involves examining information carefully, recognising bias, weighing competing explanations and reaching conclusions based on evidence rather than habit, authority or personal preference.

The question, then, is whether Bangladesh’s universities are consistently giving students the opportunity to develop these abilities, or whether the pressure to complete syllabuses and perform well in examinations is leaving too little room for independent thought.

The examination-centred problem

For many students, the immediate priorities of university life are familiar: attend classes, complete assignments, prepare for examinations and maintain a satisfactory CGPA. In a competitive job market where academic credentials can influence recruitment, these priorities are understandable.

The problem arises when the pursuit of grades becomes the principal measure of learning.

In a classroom where the teacher delivers information and students are expected to reproduce it in examinations, memorisation can become more rewarding than exploration. Students may learn to identify the answers their teachers expect without necessarily developing the confidence or ability to question the assumptions behind them.

Lecture-based teaching has an important place in education. Students need clear explanations, foundational knowledge and structured guidance to understand complex subjects. But lectures alone cannot develop every skill required to use that knowledge independently.

Students also need opportunities to debate competing interpretations, examine case studies, conduct research, defend their arguments and work through problems that do not have an immediately obvious answer.

Consider a business student studying a company’s financial performance. Memorising accounting principles is necessary, but understanding when and how to apply them requires a different level of engagement. The student must interpret figures, identify risks, consider market conditions and decide whether the available evidence supports a particular business decision.

Similarly, a student studying political science should be able to assess competing explanations for a social or political development rather than simply reproduce a textbook account. A science student should understand not only established theories but also how evidence is gathered, tested and interpreted.

These are not additional skills that can be postponed until after graduation. They are integral to learning a subject properly.

Research assignments, meanwhile, can lose much of their educational value when students treat them as exercises in collecting information rather than investigating a question. Copying material from websites, relying heavily on ready-made answers or compiling sources without evaluating their credibility may help complete an assignment, but it does little to strengthen independent reasoning.

The growing use of artificial intelligence has added another dimension to this challenge. AI tools can explain difficult concepts, help students organise research and offer alternative perspectives. Used thoughtfully, they can support learning. Used as substitutes for reading, analysis and original work, however, they can make it easier for students to submit polished assignments without fully understanding the ideas they contain.

The challenge for universities is therefore not simply to restrict the use of new technology. It is to design learning and assessment methods that establish whether students can evaluate AI-generated information, identify errors, verify claims and explain the reasoning behind their conclusions.

Dr Farid A Sobhani, vice-chancellor of Eastern University, said the purpose of higher education was changing as technology made information increasingly accessible.

“When technology can deliver answers in seconds, the real purpose of higher education is to teach students how to question them,” he said.

He said universities needed to help students assess information, distinguish reliable sources from misleading content and use technology responsibly.

At Eastern University, students are encouraged to use AI as a learning tool while strengthening their critical thinking, communication, ethics and problem-solving skills, Sobhani said.

The university also combines academic learning with industry-specific projects, internships and professional exposure. Some students have undertaken internships in Japan, while graduate Md Mansurul Haque Rashed secured full-time employment with a Japanese company after completing his internship, he said.

Such experiences can help students connect classroom knowledge with workplace expectations. They also expose students to situations in which problems may not have straightforward solutions and where communication, judgement and adaptability are as important as technical knowledge.

However, opportunities for practical learning need to be accompanied by strong academic foundations. Students must understand the principles of their disciplines before they can apply them effectively, and universities must ensure that practical assignments demand genuine analysis rather than merely producing a finished product.

The objective is not to abandon examinations or academic rigour, but to ensure that assessment measures more than the ability to recall information.

Beyond employability

Graduate unemployment is an important indicator of the difficulties facing Bangladesh’s higher education system, but employment alone cannot determine whether a university is fulfilling its purpose.

Universities are not simply training centres for the labour market. They are also expected to produce researchers, teachers, public servants, entrepreneurs and professionals who can understand complex problems and contribute to society.

An educated person should be able to assess public claims, understand different perspectives, recognise the limitations of available evidence and make informed decisions. These abilities matter in the workplace, but they are equally important in public life.

The distinction is particularly relevant in a country confronting complex economic, environmental and social challenges. Issues such as climate change, urbanisation, public health, financial inclusion and technological disruption rarely have solutions that can be found in a single textbook or discipline. Addressing them requires people who can examine evidence, understand different viewpoints and consider the wider consequences of their decisions.

A university education that concentrates narrowly on producing job-ready candidates risks overlooking this broader responsibility. Conversely, an education that emphasises abstract knowledge without showing students how to apply it can leave graduates struggling to translate their learning into practical outcomes.

The task is to bring the two together.

A 2025 study published in Social Sciences & Humanities Open, based on surveys of 1,320 respondents and interviews with 32 stakeholders, identified gaps in technical, soft and digital skills among Bangladeshi graduates. The researchers called for curricula aligned with emerging employment needs and stronger partnerships between universities and industry.

The findings point to the importance of connecting academic learning with the demands of a changing economy. But the answer is not to turn every university programme into a narrowly defined form of vocational training.

Industry requirements change, sometimes rapidly. A student trained exclusively for a particular job may find that the role has evolved by the time they enter the workforce. Graduates who understand the foundations of their disciplines, can learn independently and adapt their skills to new circumstances are better positioned to navigate such changes.

This is where critical thinking becomes particularly valuable. It enables graduates to approach unfamiliar tasks, assess new information and transfer what they have learned to different situations.

ULAB Vice-Chancellor Shamsad Mortuza said Bangladesh’s universities needed to prepare students for an increasingly unpredictable world.

“We are living in a VUCA world—volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous,” he said, adding that predicting where the world would be five years from now had become increasingly difficult.

Traditionally, humanities graduates often pursued government jobs, while business graduates targeted corporate careers. But Bangladesh’s limited industrialisation has constrained employment opportunities for its growing young population, he said.

Universities must therefore prepare graduates to explore opportunities beyond the domestic job market, including international employment, freelancing and remote work. Critical thinking, communication, creativity, problem-solving and adaptability are essential in this environment, he added.

These skills are interconnected. A graduate may possess strong technical knowledge but struggle to communicate a proposal to colleagues. Another may be articulate but unable to evaluate the evidence supporting an argument. A third may understand a problem but lack the confidence to develop an independent solution.

Employers increasingly need people who can combine subject knowledge with sound judgement and the ability to work with others. Yet these qualities are not developed through a single course or occasional workshop. They emerge from the way students are taught, assessed and encouraged to participate throughout their university years.

Turning classrooms into spaces for inquiry

If universities are to produce more independent thinkers, the change must begin inside the classroom.

One starting point is to move beyond assessments that reward the reproduction of information. Examinations can include questions that require students to interpret data, compare competing explanations, identify weaknesses in an argument or apply a concept to a new situation.

Case studies can help students understand how theoretical knowledge works in practice. Group projects can expose them to different viewpoints and teach them to negotiate disagreements. Debates can encourage them to construct arguments, respond to criticism and reconsider their positions when presented with stronger evidence.

Research assignments can be designed around questions that require students to collect and assess information rather than simply summarise existing material. Teachers can ask students to explain why they selected particular sources, how they reached their conclusions and what limitations they encountered.

These methods are not necessarily more expensive than conventional teaching, although they require preparation, thoughtful assessment and sufficient time for feedback. Their effectiveness also depends on class sizes, available resources and the capacity of teachers to guide students through more open-ended work.

Teacher training is therefore central to reform. Lecturers need opportunities to develop teaching methods that encourage discussion, independent investigation and evidence-based reasoning. They must also be supported by institutional policies that recognise teaching quality rather than placing disproportionate emphasis on completing course content.

Students, too, need an environment in which questioning is treated as a normal part of learning. In classrooms where disagreement with a teacher is discouraged or mistakes are treated as failures, students may hesitate to offer an alternative interpretation even when they have a valid argument.

Encouraging questions does not mean abandoning academic discipline or the teacher’s role. It means making room for students to explain their reasoning and understand why a particular argument is more convincing than another.

Research is another important part of this process. When students participate in research projects, they learn that knowledge is not merely a collection of established facts. It is developed through questions, evidence, testing, revision and sometimes the recognition that an initial assumption was wrong.

Undergraduate research opportunities remain particularly important in this regard. Students should have opportunities to work with faculty members, analyse data, explore local problems and present their findings. These experiences can strengthen their analytical abilities while helping universities build a stronger research culture.

Universities must also ensure that students have access to the resources required for such learning, including libraries, laboratories, reliable digital facilities and academic guidance. A student cannot be expected to conduct meaningful research without access to relevant materials or the support needed to use them.

The challenge of reform

The need for change has also been recognised at the policy level.

In August 2026, University Grants Commission Chairman Professor Dr Mamun Ahmed called for transforming universities into centres of skilled human-resource development rather than merely degree-awarding institutions. He highlighted digital literacy, communication and critical thinking as important graduate competencies.

The UGC’s Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation project also focuses on improving teaching, research, innovation, quality assurance and graduate employability. The project is scheduled to run through June 2028.

Such initiatives reflect a wider recognition that expanding access to higher education is not enough. The quality of learning, the relevance of curricula and the abilities graduates develop must receive equal attention.

However, translating these priorities into meaningful change will require more than policy statements or the addition of a few new courses.

Curricula need to be reviewed regularly, with input from academics, employers, researchers, alumni and students. Industry partnerships can help universities understand emerging professional requirements, while academic research can identify weaknesses in teaching and learning.

Internships and work placements should provide structured learning rather than simply give students a line to add to their CVs. Universities need to establish clear learning objectives for such placements and help students reflect on the skills and knowledge they acquire.

At the same time, reforms must account for the considerable differences between institutions. Universities and colleges do not all have the same financial resources, teaching capacity, research facilities or industry connections.

Students at well-resourced institutions may have greater access to laboratories, international collaborations and professional networks, while those at under-resourced colleges may struggle to find internships or receive adequate career guidance. Expecting all graduates to demonstrate the same competencies without addressing these differences would overlook an important part of the problem.

Improving higher education therefore requires investment in teachers, learning resources, research facilities and student support, alongside changes in classroom practice. It also requires stronger quality assurance so that institutions are assessed not only on the programmes they offer or the degrees they award, but also on the learning opportunities they provide.

Rethinking what a university degree represents

The pressure to secure employment is real, particularly for graduates entering a competitive job market. Families who invest in higher education reasonably expect their children to gain knowledge and improve their prospects. Universities must take those expectations seriously.

But a degree should represent more than the completion of a syllabus. It should signal that a student has developed a meaningful understanding of a subject and can use that knowledge with judgement, independence and responsibility.

That requires a shift in how academic success is understood. CGPA will continue to matter, as will subject knowledge and professional qualifications. But they should be considered alongside a graduate’s ability to analyse information, communicate ideas, solve problems, work collaboratively and learn beyond the boundaries of a formal course.

Universities should also resist the temptation to measure every programme exclusively through immediate employment outcomes. The contributions of humanities, social sciences and fundamental research may not always translate into a first job directly related to a degree, but these fields can develop valuable analytical abilities, deepen public understanding and generate knowledge that benefits society over time.

Bangladesh does not necessarily need fewer graduates. It needs a higher education system that can demonstrate what students have learned, how deeply they understand it and what they can do with that knowledge.

Ultimately, the test of a university is not simply how many degrees it awards or how many students graduate with high CGPAs. It is whether those graduates can question assumptions, evaluate evidence, recognise uncertainty, consider competing perspectives and arrive at reasoned conclusions.

As artificial intelligence makes information easier to access and increasingly capable of generating answers, the ability to judge those answers will become even more important. The value of an educated graduate will depend not only on what they know, but also on how they think, how they apply their knowledge and how willing they are to keep learning.

The challenge for Bangladesh’s universities is to ensure that students leave their classrooms with more than a qualification. They should leave with the intellectual independence to ask difficult questions, the confidence to examine established ideas and the ability to develop thoughtful responses to problems that have no ready-made answers.