Higher Education and Civil Society: Compatibility Re-Examined.

Abstract

Last couple of decades, some developed countries emphasized to develop civil society in developing countries. The main goals were to promote democratic norms and values among citizens who will not be thinking about democratic society otherwise. To establish democratic norms and values, many view that higher education is necessary. The relationship between higher education and civil society is not clear to many. Some believe that higher education seems to gear toward building career. For some, main motto of higher education is to motivate students for providing public service that would establish a democratic civil society. Higher education system in universities of Bangladesh failed to meet people’s expectations because of its poor shape. Higher education serves as the engine of growth for a nation’s economic and social development. The products of higher education run the country, spearheading all the state mechanisms and areas of expertise. This paper is an attempt to explore the relationship between higher education and commercialization which leads constraints of building civil society in Bangladesh. Key words: Higher education, developed countries, civil society, commercialization, Bangladesh