Commentary: Corruption in universities is politics: Teachers feel no concern
Editorial Desk :
Protests rocked four public universities recently with students and a section of teachers taking to streets on their campuses to oppose corrupt practices and irregularities by those at the helm of their administrations. Inaction by the authorities overseeing the university affairs has been blamed for the ill practices that are going unabated at the highest seats of learning.
The authorities often found themselves helpless in taking effective measures against these universities where Vice-Chancellors or other top administrators have either been handpicked by the ruling party or are backed by it. A section of Dhaka University teachers on Thursday joined the University’s ongoing student agitation against irregularities to press for the removal of the VC while the protesters at JU on Wednesday gave an ultimatum to the VC asking her to resign by October 1.
Recently, a group of JU students started agitating against its VC Farzana Islam alleging that she was involved in corruption, Dhaka University students launched a movement against the forgery committed in admission of some leaders of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, students of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University at Gopalganj began demonstrating as its VC suspended a student for making Facebook posts and a group of BCL leaders at Islamic University in Kushtia started protesting against another group of the pro-government student body raising corruption allegation against them.
The main reason for this is that political activism has been pushed aside to give precedence to the politics of pursuing a narrow political and even personal agenda. The previous zeal of the student leaders to work and sacrifice for the cause of students and the nation has been replaced by the pursuit of money and to establish political supremacy over the opponents.
An absence of democratic practices, not holding central students’ union elections in public universities and colleges for decades, appointing teachers and administrative officials in educational institutions from among party followers created an atmosphere helpful for corruption among student leaders with university funds and extortion outside. Destroying education for students is no concern. These student leaders are nothing but muscle power of the government in creating fearful atmosphere against opposition activities.
The party politics having no character and no ideology is using students unconscionably without concern for the need of good education and also for good future of the nation. Corrupt politics is corrupting the university students but teacher and even Vice-Chancellors do not object to such atmosphere of corruption destroying higher education. We are shocked and condemn politicised teachers and Vice-Chancellors.
Protests rocked four public universities recently with students and a section of teachers taking to streets on their campuses to oppose corrupt practices and irregularities by those at the helm of their administrations. Inaction by the authorities overseeing the university affairs has been blamed for the ill practices that are going unabated at the highest seats of learning.
The authorities often found themselves helpless in taking effective measures against these universities where Vice-Chancellors or other top administrators have either been handpicked by the ruling party or are backed by it. A section of Dhaka University teachers on Thursday joined the University’s ongoing student agitation against irregularities to press for the removal of the VC while the protesters at JU on Wednesday gave an ultimatum to the VC asking her to resign by October 1.
Recently, a group of JU students started agitating against its VC Farzana Islam alleging that she was involved in corruption, Dhaka University students launched a movement against the forgery committed in admission of some leaders of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, students of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University at Gopalganj began demonstrating as its VC suspended a student for making Facebook posts and a group of BCL leaders at Islamic University in Kushtia started protesting against another group of the pro-government student body raising corruption allegation against them.
The main reason for this is that political activism has been pushed aside to give precedence to the politics of pursuing a narrow political and even personal agenda. The previous zeal of the student leaders to work and sacrifice for the cause of students and the nation has been replaced by the pursuit of money and to establish political supremacy over the opponents.
An absence of democratic practices, not holding central students’ union elections in public universities and colleges for decades, appointing teachers and administrative officials in educational institutions from among party followers created an atmosphere helpful for corruption among student leaders with university funds and extortion outside. Destroying education for students is no concern. These student leaders are nothing but muscle power of the government in creating fearful atmosphere against opposition activities.
The party politics having no character and no ideology is using students unconscionably without concern for the need of good education and also for good future of the nation. Corrupt politics is corrupting the university students but teacher and even Vice-Chancellors do not object to such atmosphere of corruption destroying higher education. We are shocked and condemn politicised teachers and Vice-Chancellors.