Doing away with campus violence
THERE are as many reasons why the academic environment in college and university campuses nationwide has been deteriorating as there are national political parties. Eruption of violence among student groups has resurfaced with monotonous regularity soon after Awami League's landslide election sweep. Although I had been thinking about this situation for some time now, two successive incidents in one week triggered this piece.
June 26: At least 35 students were hurt as two rival factions of Bangladesh Chatra League (BCL) clashed at Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymenshing. The clash was about establishing control over student politics, job offerings, drug business, and anything else that may open up money-making opportunities.
June 29: Student activists led by the general secretary of Banpara Degree College (Baraigram Upazila) unit of the BCL physically assaulted a guard and then a teacher who dared to come to his rescue. The guard was enforcing the rule barring students from entering the campus without uniform. The injured were rescued by other students and taken to a local clinic.
Although, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina officially disassociated herself from the BCL, kerfuffle between factious BCL groups continues -- often violently. Many of us believe that these groups -- some of whom are outside miscreants who masquerade as students -- are the surrogates of local and national AL leaders. The PM should take stern action against these leaders of her party if they are found to be involved in such nefarious activities.
Available evidence indicates that these campus activists are unlikely to be future doctors, engineers, civil servants, academicians etc. Many of them, in all likelihood, are destined to be the future politicians of the country at local and national levels.
The graduates who perform well in public and private universities will take up all the goods jobs the country has to offer while leaving politics of mischief for the under-performers. Many of the under-performers and dropouts are already self-employed in street hooliganism, extortions, land-grabbing and other degrading activities.
Over the span of the last three weeks, I sat with two former vice chancellors -- Dr. S.M.A. Faiz of Dhaka University and Mr. Muslehuddin Ahmad, the founding VC of North South University -- on separate occasions during their visit to Michigan. Among the issues discussed, campus politics topped the list. They both agreed with the prevailing view that only major political parties could extricate campus politics from national parties.
No one is banning student politics; instead student politics should be limited to students' issues such as academic programs, library facilities, classroom conditions, residential halls, dining, sporting activities, health and campus security, plus everything else that uplifts students' well-being.
VC Faiz is in general agreement with the prevailing notion that the quality of graduates from public universities has deteriorated relative to the pre-liberation period. Consequently, overwhelming public opinion has recently swayed towards abolishing student politics altogether.
Both the vice-chancellors stressed that, unlike private universities, students in public universities engage in politics and mischief partly because of weak enforcement of many rules and regulations. They believe requirement of participation in regular debates and seminars on national and international issues would keep them engaged.
Following the models in US, politically ambitious students should be required to engage in community service, work as interns in local and national government offices (such as election commission) and political party offices, and get academic credits.
VC Ahmad reasoned that private universities are free from national party politics, tender manipulations, extortions and other mischief because of the pressure from parents who pay the very high tuition fees, plus the pressure to maintain a minimum GPA for continuation in the program, and the time constraint for finishing their degree within four years. Then there are prospects of landing a high paying job upon graduation -- one that acts as a huge incentive for distancing themselves from engaging in mischief while being a student.
The last caretaker government acknowledged the pragmatism of student politics for developing future leadership, but argued that students', teachers' and workers' organisations and professional bodies should be pursuing their own agendas instead of being pawns in the hands of the political parties.
Student politics in Bangladesh universities had a close parallel with that of the state of Kerala, India, prior to 2004. There were times when college campuses exploded in deadly violence, resulting in death of students. In one incident, a student, when barred from taking an exam for lack of required attendance, sued the college for monetary and emotional damages.
A Division Bench of the Kerala HC, on February 20, 2004, directed the state government and universities to lay down rules and regulations for curbing dharnas, strikes, gheraos and demonstrations by various students' organisations on college campuses (The Hindu, February 21, 2004).
The court said that the educational institutions could lay down a code of conduct and guidelines to be enforced by the principals. The students were bound by the code of conduct, and the students' organisations had no legal right to interfere with the fundamental right guaranteed to the management.
Despite initial protests, the ban on student politics has worked miracles. "There are no political activities, no party-based elections, no union chairman or officials, and no loss of academic days in Sacred Heart College anymore,"(The Hindu, Jan 28, 2006).
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