Editorial
PM at Dhaka University
Right speech, but will it be followed by right action?
We have been anything but the best in our speeches. But we have never been anywhere near best in our action. That sums up our history of most things. In the same vein the prime minister on Monday gave a wonderful speech at Dhaka University. Will she have the foresight to follow it up with action? The PM lamented the demise of quality education in the highest seat of learning in the country. In the process, she identified a number of causes all of which are correct. But the principal cause of the malaise she only mentioned peripherally. What she referred to as teachers' grouping, which in reality means politicisation and partisanship of the teachers, is the fundamental cause of the deterioration of the academic atmosphere in all our universities, including the premier of them all, the DU. From the appointment of the vice chancellor to those of deans, heads of departments, provosts of residential halls and of course appointments of teachers and staff have all come under political influence. Even relatively minor things like being nominated for scholarships or for attending professional seminars are decided on 'for us and against us' basis. The largess that the PM handed out to the university in terms of women's dormitory, land, buildings and plots for teachers are all very welcome. But the real issue, that of acute politicisation of the campus both at the students and teachers levels, has not really been addressed by the PM. Let us not forget that it is the ruling party and the government of the day -- with their capacity to handout favours, appointments, promotions and postings -- that is the real culprit in the politicisation process. Needless to say, the present ruling party or the coalition government is not the inventor of the present malaise but can definitely be termed as an ardent follower of this disastrous practice. Even though she touched this subject only marginally, it reveals that she is aware of it. So the question is will she do something about it? We think, if the PM really wants to achieve what she proclaimed in her speech on Monday, she should make a firm declaration that all future decisions about the DU will be taken purely on merit, where partisanship will have no role. She should make a solemn commitment to discourage "groupings" among teachers and gradually depoliticise teachers' association activities. Only then, will she be seen to put her WILL behind her WORDS. As of now they remain EMPTY WORDS.
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