The New Nation - Internet Edition

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.