Partisan influence in public universities

Over the years, most of the public universities provided employment to the loyalists of the party in power bypassing existing regulations and the recommendations of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Individual faculties too did the same despite the UGC's dispatch of a directive to the authorities not to employ anyone between July 11 to October 20, 2003. Given that the previous regime did little different, the trend is barring qualified applicants from finding employment in the nation's highest seats of learning. This is shocking and unfortunate for students, parents and the nation.

Specifically, the government-sponsored Doctors Association of Bangladesh is alleged to have indulged in such practices while employing people in the Bangabandhu Medical University (BMU). Many of the employment of the BMU took place without having published any notification.

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The crisis is indicative of a number of dangers. Aside from violating existing directives and regulations, such employment modalities have had serious impact on the credibility of the public universities. As well, politicking in campuses has increased in the midst of an ongoing 'Cold War' between followers of the ruling party and the others who may or may not subscribe to any particular political creed. The poisoned academic atmosphere is causing students and teachers capable of pursuing education and career abroad to step out of the country.

Now that the management seems bent on transforming everything into its chosen mould, little is perhaps left in those institutions for knowledge-thirsty students and teachers. The crisis is destroying our education system and impacting upon our ability to produce graduates capable of discharging national responsibilities fairly and squarely. Something must be done to stop the trend sooner than later.