LIBRARIAN TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN BANGLADESH


Jody Bales Foote

  Dr. S.M. Mannan
Professor,
Dept. of Information Science & Library Management
University of Dhaka

At a time when adaptation to technology is an ongoing challenge in library training in every country, many developing countries have a problem serving their clientele at a very basic level. The pressing need is to produce librarians able to serve their constituencies with a minimum of materials and technology. While there is a growing clientele for advanced technological services, it is far too difficult for most library programs in developing countries to provide training at both ends of the spectrum. These countries must give higher priority to programs that meet librarians' most fundamental training needs. Study abroad is the best option to provide advanced training for librarians wishing to take their place in an emerging information age. Thus, library science faculty must sublimate their own interests in advanced technology to meet the needs of students who will enter the workplace with only the most basic of resources.

This article examines the library training infrastructure in Bangladesh, a country with doctoral level training in library science, but an extremely limited resource base for library training. It describes training infrastructure, curriculum, geographical, political and economic constraints inherent in the system, and challenges faced by those operating a low technology program trying to move into the 21st century.

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated and poorest countries in the
world. Its per capita income in 1995 was US$200. Its population was 125 million spread over an area the size of Tunisia or Wisconsin. During the past few years, Bangladesh has experienced economic growth because of a growing garment industry sector and other industrial expansion. It has also had success in reducing its high birth rate. Yet, as the economic situation has grown somewhat brighter, the political situation has become more bleak.

Because of the heavy involvement of university students in the political process historically, Dhaka University, where much of the country's library training occurs, has been closed for lengthy periods of time, creating significant impediments to training in all areas. The politically charged environment on campus has also kept the government from investing heavily in universities, leaving the system anemic and isolated.

University Training

Bangladesh has been fortunate to have had a full-service library science program long before political turmoil affected its universities. While some developing countries have just recently opened university-level library science programs, Bangladesh has been training librarians for more than forty years since the then-Pakistan government inaugurated a three-month training course for librarians at Dhaka University taught by London-trained Fazal Elahi Bangladesh has gradually expanded its offerings, providing a breadth of training from short courses to the Ph.D.

Bangladesh was a part of India (as East Bengal) until 1947, then became East
Pakistan. Independence was proclaimed in 1971. Library education has been strong in Bangladesh, as it is in India and Pakistan India has approximately 75 universities offering library education programs, including 30 Ph.D. programs In Pakistan, there are seven library science programs, with Karachi University offering a Ph.D. Beyond what was colonial India, there are only two other library science programs in South Asia, at Colombo University and Kelaniya University in Sri Lanka.

In 1958, the East Pakistan Library Association introduced a 6-month certificate course in librarianship in Dhaka that would become the foundation for an undergraduate library science degree. The next year, Dhaka University began its one-year postgraduate diploma course that became a master's degree program in 1962 and a two-year master's program in 1976. The University began a doctoral degree program in 1979. Thus, by the end of the seventies Bangladesh had an extensive infrastructure in place to produce a full course complement of librarians. Rounding out the program, there is a three-year honors course in library and information science initiated in 1988.

The Library Science program at Dhaka University has produced 1,081 postgraduate diplomas, 815 masters degrees, and 4 Ph.Ds. During the 1995-96 academic year, the Department had 30-40 students working on a B.A. (Honors) degree and 70-80 working towards a master's degree. An average of  80 students graduate each year from the department. There are currently only five students enrolled in the Ph.D. program and no degrees have been granted during the past five years. At Dhaka University, no coursework is required for the Ph.D. Candidates generally work on a thesis topic with an advisor for two to four years.

The Department of Library Science is part of the Faculty of Arts; it has 14 professors. Four of the faculty have Ph.D.s, all from Dhaka University's own program. Two of the faculty are currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program.  Another is doing a Ph.D. in India. Two members of the faculty have received masters from abroad (Pakistan and USA.). Some of the faculty have also participated in short courses abroad. The Department of Library Science budget accounts for a little more than three percent of the Dhaka University budget. Being housed in a large arts college, the Department must compete with strong programs in the social sciences. There are no laboratory or practical opportunities within the Department, although the university library serves as a resource. There are plans for the Department to procure its first two computers by the end of 1996.

By the mid-1990s, Bangladesh was planning a second library science program, at Rajshahi University in the far northwest part of the country. Rajshahi began a one-year postgraduate diploma course in 1992 followed by a B.S.S. honors course in 1993. The University has planned a master's degree course to begin in 1997. From a cost-efficiency standpoint, the library science program at Dhaka University is adequate to meet the needs of the country and a second library science program may put a further strain on already scarce resources. Yet, geographic dispersion of academic programs is a nationwide concern in a country where most resources in all areas reside in the capital of Dhaka. Disbursing resources and programs to remote constituencies carries a high social value and will likely continue. Even with a second library science program, geographical constraints loom large for those seeking library training. Students have to travel hours by bus or river ferry to reach the capital city. Living costs in Dhaka are high compared to the rural areas. Leaving families for long periods of time also creates hardship. With no distance learning systemin place, there is little chance of getting an advanced degree without residenc
in either Dhaka or Rajshahi.

Library training in Bangladesh is funded almost entirely from the government. Limited support comes from special grants from donor countries. Tuition and fees are minimal. A masters student at Dhaka University pays approximately US$40 per year for admission and fees. For those who cannot afford tuition, various scholarships and financial aid are available. Because the average annual income in Bangladesh is less than $200, it is unrealistic to think of raising tuition much beyond the current level. Consistent political turmoil in Bangladesh over the past decade has resulted in long closures, called session jams, at Dhaka University, but these delays have decreased in recent years. Such delays are frustrating to both students and their parents as hundreds of careers are put on hold. These chronic delays and the overall lack of confidence in the university system have caused much concern among Bangladeshis. Known as the "Oxford of the East" during the Indian Raj, Dhaka University has suffered significantly because of budgetary and political problems. For years, Bangladeshi public universities had a monopoly on higher education, forcing students into a single underfunded system. Now the wealthy have begun to send their children to universities abroad.

Beginning in 1992, the middle class received a new higher education alternative when a group of private Bangladeshi universities developed in the urban areas. None of the private universities offer courses in library science, but all provide a fairly sophisticated exposure to information technology. Students at the private universities have more exposure to electronic databases, the internet, and remote catalogs than the most advanced library science students at Dhaka or Rajshahi University. Up to now, the private universities have concentrated on areas that offer high-paying jobs upon graduation like computer science, engineering, and business administration. When the private universities expand and mature, however, they will likely move into other areas. It is quite possible that the library science departments at Dhaka and Rajshahi Universities will have private competition in the broader information science area. A degree encompassing computerized information retrieval, elementary multimedia skills, and traditional reference courses could be quite popular.