Feature

On banning student and teacher politics

Md. Masum Billah

The present caretaker government has emerged as a blessing to the nation. It has taken some epoch-making measures to raise the hope of the nation. Thinking of banning student and teacher politics is a highly welcome move to restore the standard of higher education. So-called student and teacher politics has vitiated the entire academic atmosphere in all the seats of higher learning. There is not an iota of doubt that student-teacher politics has seriously polluted the atmosphere of learning at the highest level of education. Students seem to have forgotten that universities are seats of learning and learners here should display the best behaviour and attitude. Now everybody is of the impression that university means a place of chaos and nasty politics. Even a rickshawpuller does not want to go to the university campus. Most vehicles don't dare to ply across university areas. No caterer or contractor wants to work in the university campus. Everyone thinks that universities are dens of terrors, and university halls a haven for all kinds of unsocial activities. Nobody cares who stood first class first but everybody knows the cadres, and everyone salute them like VIPs. Ordinary students don't get seats in the halls whereas the third and fourth grade students remain in the halls year after year. They roam in the university campus like emperors. Bright and common students live on their mercy. No university administration or state government think about these matters. The whole administration has become a hostage to these terrorists.

This politics demonstrated to the nation that brilliant results and pursuing studies does not give wealth and security. It demonstrated that the rowdiest cadre can become successful in life, own palatial houses, cars and a huge bank balance. These university hooligans continue their activities at all levels of the state. The nerve of the nation has been poisoned by this nasty student politics. This politics has created third and fourth grade leaders, who never attended any exams, hardly touched their books, yet take responsibility to steer the nation, and we can see what they have given to this nation. University teachers deserve the highest degree of honour, but this poisonous politics has made them shed all morality and develop acrimonious relation with the students. They have vowed allegiance to corruption and the corrupt student leaders. They fawn upon the government to hold some comfortable position, and sacrifice their morality to engage in heinous crimes. They employ new teachers on the basis of party allegiance and not merit and academic performance. Results also accrue from this, as teachers loyal to AL never support students who don't support AL. It is the same for supporters of BNP or Jamat. This is what our politics has given us. Yet many are in favour of student politics.

Why? For fear of student strongmen, nobody dared to utter anything. But now time has come to speak up against student politics. They always refer to the glorious role of the students. Definitely students will play the role they played in all national crises till now. Nation expects such contribution from the students and in order to respond to this call, students need not attach themselves to any political party. At any critical moment for the nation, they will shoulder the responsibility like true patriots. They must not do the dealings for a particular. We have developed very peculiar and bitter experiences about university life. The sights and sounds of my own university life are still vivid in my memory. Fear of the cadres drove us from the halls. Often we had to come out of the halls in the middle of the night. We are the sons of this soil. We have been honest and sincere to our studies. But the wrongdoers reigned in the campus. Ban student and teacher politics now and forever! Let the teachers start conducting research and give something to the poor nation. Let the students read their books and come to the class to attend lecture. The so-called leaders have destroyed education. Students must not hanker after them. Rather, they should try to give something to the nation that has given them the opportunity to study in the university.

Recently the law adviser expressed his opinion about all political activities by students and teachers in public universities. He also mentioned that for the greater interest of the nation we should ban both student and teacher politics. Why don't we think of alternative ways to engage students in the decision making process? This is the time to come up with innovative ideas, leaving behind the old ideals of student politics.

In western universities, students engage themselves in various political activities in a highly organized way. Along with their regular study, they do lots of political study to redress academic, national and global issues. If necessary they initiate programme against the authorities. Academic issues are always at the centre of such initiatives. One of the root causes of deterioration of the public universities is probably too much autonomy as granted under the 1973 university ordinances. This ordinance had been believed to be contributing positively towards democratisation of the universes. Once seen as great virtue, university ordinances are now being looked down upon as a vice, because we have misused and abused them. Criticism is mostly directed against the bodies of the university administration i.e. the vice-chancellor, senate, syndicate, dean etc.

Teachers' politics revolve round these elections. Therefore there is a natural tendency to recruit teachers based on political considerations. It is here, the appointment of vice-chancellors and other government nominees to various university bodies that the ruling party come into play. Successive governments through their appointees in the public universities have, in turn, recruited many teachers who have seriously undermined the academic standards of these institutions.

The writer works for Post Primary Basic And Continuing Education (PACE) Programme. BRAC Head Office, Dhaka.