The New Nation - Internet Edition

THE Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) is reported to have finalised new recruitment rules for Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations. These new rules have been prepared for improving the existing rules with a view to ensuring the recruitment of the best candidates for government services. These new rules would bring about changes in the application forms, selection procedure, preliminary test, written examinations, viva-voce and appointment of the selected candidates. Under the present 28th BCS examination the PSC is going to select candidates against a total of 1720 vacant posts under 27 different cadres. According to the new rules, expert boards for viva-voce tests are expected to comprise editors of newspapers, bureaucrats, teachers of public and private universities and heads of corporate organisations.

BCS services are high profile jobs. Members of different cadres represent the government in their respective fields. They bear the responsibility of implementing government policies and decisions at different levels. At the same time they have to regulate activities of various non-governmental national and multi-national organisations. So, members of cadre services are supposed to have the knowledge, efficiency and vision necessary for shouldering such responsibilities. They must be talented persons, efficient and prompt. For some reasons, young people get attracted to government jobs in general and BCS cadre services in particular. Government services in Bangladesh give more job security. Service benefits offered to cadre service members are relatively attractive. So, in spite of low remuneration allowed in government services than those in private organisations, it is possible to attract the best talents from the society to such jobs.

But there appears to be some impediments to the recruitment of the best candidates. The quota system, felt necessary to promote candidates from certain backward areas of the country and sections of the people, may not be conducive to doing the best recruitments. Because of the quota system candidates with inferior calibre may get chance to enter the services at the cost of candidates with better calibre. Some cadre services like administration, foreign service, judicial and police services demand greater efficiency. Recruitments to these cadres through the quota system cannot be good. Leakage of question papers and alleged favouritism sometimes obstruct the entry of deserving candidates. The improved rules reportedly provide that applicants need not mention their contact numbers so that corrupt ones cannot communicate with the candidates. The PSC should restore its eredibility by taking whatever measures it deems necessary to operate a fool-proof recruitment system against which there would be no complaints. Competent candidates will then get automatically selected to important cadre services and the state would benefit from their efficiency.

PRICES of edibles such as rice, cooking oil and lentils are still rising much to the detriment of the millions of humble consumers when they remain in great expectation that the present government, unlike any other for its commitment to the public good, will do something concrete and at the earliest to save them from the price hike. Notwithstanding what people desire so deeply, it is also true that price control is a complex task. It is not easy to take swift and surgical actions in response to it to improve conditions overnight. The normalisation of prices needs to be tackled at many levels and exercising the utmost care so that markets can function smoothly, specially without taking a fright.

It was alleged that imports of essential goods dropped drastically in the wake of the operation of the security forces. The Adviser concerned contradicted this view to furnish figures that import operations of these goods continue to be reasonable so that no crisis could occur. In that case, other allegations need to be acted upon such as the price syndicates which are considered to be still alive. If this is really a valid proposition, then it should be examined very thoroughly and promptly followed up by the taking of appropriate actions immediately. The goal should be deactivating unholy syndicates. At the same time, this task will have to be done delicately without causing major disruption in the supply chain. Therefore, the approach needs to be gentle arm twisting and persuading of these importers to play by the rules or face the prospects of penalties. Meanwhile, the government should complete preparations to cancel the import licences of unscrupulous importers. Progressively, the aim should be one of replacing some of the importers who are clearly identified with hoarding and profiteering activities with genuine businessmen who can be relied upon for their ethical conduct.

For now, the current importers of goods in everyday use must be obliged to recognise and prove that the duty concessions they receive in respect of various items, would be duly passed to the consumers in the form of lowered prices reflecting the duty cuts. The Adviser concerned stated that prices of goods in the market places would be hanged after taking into account their duty reductions, actual transportation costs and other factors. But hanging of this chart in clear view of the buyers is only one side to the picture. Getting the full utility of it will depend on the enforcement of the declared prices in the charts. Any failure in this respect should lead to penalties to be paid by the deviant shop operators. Only such a thorough and well-laid system of price control will stand a chance of functioning well and delivering the benefits to consumers. However, great care will need to be taken to do these things with patience and not too bluntly so that unnecessary panic is not created in the markets.

M.T. Hussain

It is nothing new that the question of students' party politics- whether or not third level college-university students taking active parts in party politics- came to surface time and again in the past as is being known to be considered by the latest one member commission of Justice Habibur Rahman who made an inquest into the 20-22 August rowdy matters based and originated at the Dhaka University campus. In this article, I wish to make an in-depth analysis of the lone issue of university students' participating actively in party politics in his/her own campus otherwise meant for engaging in academic pursuit.

To my mind, there must have many issues in the matter. First, how should one define student's main tasks in campus? Secondly, what expectations the students' parents or guardians have from their wards. Third, what the teachers' roles should ideally be in grooming the campus students in subject specialization and preparing for profitable employment in certain profession/vocation. Fourth, how effectively one could provide for appropriate curricula for building self-confident good citizens in meeting his/her material, psychological, moral and spiritual needs. Fifth, if it is at all feasible to isolate politics from life of educated young people of the country?

On the question of human psyche and war, UNESCO has a slogan: 'War begins in the mind of man', so to contain any future war, we must 'educate human mind' against war. War is no doubt a matter of physical fight with arms against one another as is seen from outside, but the causes are generated in mind for various reasons affecting human mind and psyche.

Education at the first and early second stage involves offering young children or pupils/students mainly three R's reading, writing and arithmetic. Comprehension capability comes little later but varies with student learners' inherent capability level or as the educationists' jargon term, is Intelligence quotient (IQ). Third level or college-university curricula for students is meant for other specific objectives in preparation for vocation or for still more specialised higher profession for profitably productive employment on reaching one's youth. University campus thus is supposed to best utilize learners' time, energy for few years of students' prime youth keeping one engaged in various appropriate learning activities-attending lecture sessions, participating in tutorials, experiments, discussions, analysis, developing papers, dissertations, etc- teachers being not only main teaching -training tool but also leader and guide for students.

University education is always highly selective and meant for students of higher IQ. Teachers of universities are equally of higher IQ as manifested in terms possession of higher degrees obtained from local and international universities. In addition, highly qualified teachers are supposed to be engaged in creative and fundamental research works in evolving new knowledge. Considering scopes of students in university campus engaged in full time pursuit of learning and knowledge for about four or five years, it is only difficult to engage one in political activities without sacrificing learning attainments. The same should be true in matters of time constraint for teachers as well to engage seriously in politics in the campus, unless both teachers and students would be less attentive to their main works in teaching and leaning. The lapse thus has been more glaring in the recent years and decades that is manifested in falling standards of education in almost all institutions in Bangladesh that now a days is a matter of serious frustration, particularly for the enlightened guardians. We have now many thousands of university degree or 'paper qualification' holders but not enough capable men/women to be profitably and productively employed. There is also huge mismatch, meaning no appropriate job for higher degree holders and yet many jobs do not find suitably qualified university degree holders. We have thus, for example, political science Master Degree holders competing for job of bank cashier. Overall unemployment in the country has been worsened by thousands of educated unemployed having little productively useful skill, a national tragedy indeed both for the guardians and the nation on account of huge wastage of national capital investment in education in inappropriate pursuits.

Employability question brought forward vocational and technical education issue. Initially this training sector opened avenues for employment, but as of now unemployment of the craftsmen and technically trained persons are equally prevalent like the general educated unemployed lots. One of the reason for unemployment of technically trained men and women is their inferior level of expertise or low quality of training that is incidentally common to general education, as well, from primary to the highest level of university degrees baring rare exceptions.

If one would care to analyse reasons for low quality curricula offerings, reasons are not only many but also integral with socio-economic realities of Bangladesh that have been hitting hard first in quality of primary education. Then on the inferior quality syndrome continues upwards in both technical and university education. The reason behind is simple to reckon for low quality at primary level that adversely impinges on secondary level and then up onwards. The observation I made like this here was not from my fantasy but gathered by me from fifty years of experience, first, for twenty-five years in technology teaching and then on as a senior teacher and an administrator in college-university level teaching and training of teachers.

People of Bangladesh are generally interested in politics as we see of the main parties having units spread in far- flung localities in the country. Educated lots keep interest in politics. Educated unemployed lots keep more interest as was experienced, if not for any reason but for as seen in the decades past for temporary gainful employment having further hope of gaining better money earning in future through political patronage of jobs in government and other institutions, license businesses for import- export, contractors' jobs, tender business etc. That is why many third level students do part time jobs for earning not mere subsistence but also in many cases sizeable fortune in these works. If for the same reason political party work would give earning opportunities, why would not some accept that as gainful employment during studentship?

Politics in the past used to be for ideological persuasion, freedom from foreign rule, liberty from oppressive government etc. In recent days in Bangladesh, politics is hardly for any higher ideal but merely for gains linked to get rich quick, hardly caring for morality and ethics. This is how student politics has lately lost its past glory of higher ideals and selfless service for noble cause. Student leaders are almost full timer political workers. Such leaders keep the names in class- room register not for studies but for identity as student. Many teachers either favours them for personal/private benefit or for their own wish to be closer to the political party that the student leader concerned belong to. Thus such opportunist teachers and those student leaders got interlinked in political parties, one or the other, for hope of future material gain.

Teachers thus got involved in politics through contact of activist students or might by self as well be able to do the same thing. Some may not see such informal attachment for off-campus activities, as it might not injure their academic work and standard. Unfortunately, the limit and barrier can hardly be maintained even if teachers would actively engage in politics outside campus, because his or her students may well likely to get in touch in such activities through contacts already established in campus. That made the problem more serious as in falling moral and ethical standards of both students and teachers almost alike in vacuum of any high ideological goal in politics not only in campus but also outside. Thus for teachers wishing to engage in active politics should be full timers, not part timers in politics taking full leave off teaching in campus.

Political party leaders have a lot to lend political issues in campuses for amassing people's support through bodies of student organisations. The political party divide is so powerful and intense that the normal student unions that took care well many academic issues in the past do not work for years and decades now. Whether in the changed scenario in upcoming likely healthy democratic politics, 'slavish student politics' just the commission's lone member Justice Habibur Rahman has commented, would wither away is difficult to predict for the players are more likely than not to remain the same lot.

Thus we see three major players in the campus political party games- students, teachers and politicians of one shade or the other. If one would wish to clean the campus of party politics, one must think about of all the three forces. The first, in priority of restrain must be the older politicians, secondly teachers having their own motivations and lastly the young students.

It is as such that the commission, as I understood, has not logically recommended banning student politics in campus. What is first needed, to me, in addition, to prohibit engineering any political party affiliation and banner in the campus. Teachers in the same way must not profess any party affiliation in the campuses as are seen for decades in white, blue tags etc in this country. In addition, teachers must devote their full energy in teaching, tutorials, development of textbooks and reference materials, original and new items of research and development of new knowledge keeping with international standards, etc. Teacher's promotions to higher ranks from associate professor to professor must be made conditional to contribution to original research and creation of new knowledge, and not giving promotions to higher positions/ranks based on year counting as has been in practice now for decades here in contrast with advanced counties where year counting is immaterial; what is material is his/her contribution to advanced knowledge while in teaching.

Incidentally, I recall a retired senior lecturer of the Cambridge University (England) some time back visiting Bangladesh asking me (Unusual for a conservative British but did in fact ask the question to me for our quite closeness and for his serious inquisitiveness in the matter) as to why in this country we have so many professors whereas in their country professors are few and far between.

I explained to him the length of service criterion or few number of years of service count in a lower position for eligibility for promotions to higher positions and hardly anything prior requirement in substantive research and for creation of useful new knowledge in his/her area of knowledge and expertise. I recall another incident fresh in my memory, fortunately, a senior professor of Dhaka University making an odd remark a few weeks ago to a foreign media about some of his colleagues who were 'not fit even to become lecturers and yet promoted to the position of professors'. Such evils had been in practice due to active party politics in the campuses and for underhand patronages by political parties and top leaders. The fact that teachers working for outside part time jobs and consultancy have not only affected teaching quality but went beyond legal norms not without reason but due also to sagging moral and ethical standard corrupted through party politics that has been proverbially corrupt and rotten beyond any proportion since the very inception of the country. In many cases the administration can do little in terms disciplinary action against such offenders except for example, even the honest Vice Chancellor could risk his own job! It is thus only highly desirable that part time outside jobs by teachers must be minimal for raising standards of day to day and effective campus teaching and research.

For the political leaders of the coming days, after we shall have the next 2008 election in cleaner mode, it is rightly expected that they would keep off their political activities outside all educational campuses that the future progeny would certainly give them all credit for.

Accountability of every public institutions in democratic society, if we are anything democratic even if not at the present set up of neo-colonial and feudalistic remnants' culture, is a must, because all such units are maintained from public exchequer or taxes paid by the common people.

University teachers' accountability to public trust reposed on them must not go beyond its limit in the campus itself for the breach would be nothing but misuse of 'academic freedom' and abuse of their positions beyond academic activities that would manifest their low moral and ethical standards.

To me, the crucial issue is not thinking of banning participation in active politics by students and teachers for such attempt is bound to fail. What instead should be useful and productive is to put serious effort for raising moral and ethical standards of educated lot that we have so far miserably failed, and if we succeed in this matter having recourse to Taqwa or infusing spiritual allegiance in mind and psyche of the upcoming progeny through appropriate curricula offerings, students participating in active politics even in campus, not to speak of out of campus, would not do harm but instead should benefit the society.

M. Mizanur Rahman

Since independence of Indian Sub-continent from the colonial British rulers we have been following laws, rules and regulations in judiciary and executive works of administration as laid down by the colonial masters with the exception of some amendments or modifications as per our social and political requirements. There are also a lot of adjudications through trials and errors that we have been experiencing in the trails of judicial proceedings for a long period. Even the dress of the judge and law practitioners unlike gowns and robes are also used as prescribed by colonial rulers.

However, the poor people were always the victim of the circumstances being the worst sufferers for they can hardly defray the expenses of lawsuits. Here 'Laws grind the poor rich men rule them.' Moreover, the misleading activities and directives of the political leaders of the time brought many hazardous but national problems that undo the causes of the people and made them subjected to inordinate sufferings including death and destruction of properties, annihilation of their homestead. Specially in communal riots or in wars or in political turmoil suffering people, irrespective of any of their communal sentiments or traits, got hardly any say in the court of law or rule of law where judiciary often ceased to function, where the ruthless communal rioters or war criminals go scot-free except the defeated ones. In this case the judge becomes influenced and biased against the enemies of the victorious criminals. Here the poor victims have to witness the cruelest beast camouflaged under the garb of the human. The echo for the cry of justice of the innocent poor people dies down in the air. The bitterest evidence of it we had. experienced in the partition of India and in the liberation war of Bangladesh.

'The judge who cannot punish crime joins with the culprit in his court.'

We have also been experiencing the ruthlessness of the executives who make the judges seated under their sway and they pose themselves to override justice. Hence the separation of judiciary is a must. We also found democracy without freedom of judiciary is meaningless. But the judiciary must be strengthened with the executive force behind it. That each and everybody, without any distinction, must obey the rule of law. But, in the meantime, the people must be ensured about the honesty, integrity and sense of patriotism from the judges concerned, so that rights and freedom of the people are ensured.

We have been witnessing corruption more or less on different aspects in the form of bribery, nepotism, biasness, etc. from the lower echelon to the higher ones of the judicial administration in the court of law since the British period. After the independence of Bangladesh this should have been reformed for the interest of the independent sovereign people at large. Hence, in all respects, transparency, and accountability (i.e. liability and responsibility) on the part of judicial personnel concerned under the judicial administration must stringently come in the course of dispensation of justice in the court of law.

If any sort of lawlessness pervades the judicial administration under any circumstances the entire nation will remain frustrated. There must be the balanced system of administration between the executive and the judiciary. Because they need to run parallel in the administration of justice and none should be allowed to remain above law of the land. To execute judicial orders concordant executive administration service of police and magistrate is needed as a matter of fact. Hence basically cooperation and coordination between those services are required. Moreover, those who are practicing in the court of law as lawyers must also come forward with honesty and integrity in the sense of patriotism beside their business, to help functioning the independent judiciary and to give succour to the poor and the suffering people of Bangladesh in the court of justice.

The system of establishing Ombudsman is another encouraging matter for the interest of the people. An adage is there, justice delayed is justice denied. And the corruption of the most powerful ones is often spared. The free people have the right to charge the concerned officials for their misdeeds or unlawful acts that should not have any way or loop-hole to be squashed. The people want justice as a matter of right.

The judge must behoove that God seated on the throne of justice Who will not spare him/her if he/she does any wrong in the worldly court of justice. So, eternal vigilance is the price of our liberty. Let all of us pray to God to save us from all chaos and confusion in course of the dispensation of justice.