It is too late for this government to bring discipline in educational institutions

We welcome – with great reservations – the news that the government has finally framed a policy to prevent, remedy and eliminate bullying and ragging at all educational institutions in the country with a provision for punishment in cases of violation. Over the decades, bullying and ragging which can have many types such as ‘verbal, physical, social, cyber and sexual’, as the policy describes them, have crept up in most tertiary educational institutions of Bangladesh.

But in recent years, these nauseating phenomenon has reached gigantic proportions as the leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League’s student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League, has unleashed a reign of terror among the general students in the name ragging, turning the dormitories as dangerous places for the students to live.
Even in a more bizarre way, in recent years, girl students have also taken the lead in this disgusting practice. The common students, guardians as well as conscious citizens of the country who think about the welfare of country’s education for long demanded stopping torture on students that also comes with unspeakable vulgarity.
The bullying students became so unruly that even the High Court order was violated in this regard. The Policy for the Prevention of Bullying and Ragging in Educational Institutions 2023, that has been framed to stop torture on students, will be applicable for all educational institutions in Bangladesh and will come into effect immediately.

According to the policy, once an allegation of bullying is made, the institution head will form a probe committee which, in a period of maximum seven days, will have to submit the probe report to the institution head. Following it, the head will submit the report to the higher authorities concerned for action.

Since the students who perpetrate torture on general students are politically powerful, it is doubtful whether they could be stopped by framing a policy alone. It is open to all that the ruling Awami League government uses its student wing on the campuses as muscle power and bullying the general students is part of the party’s policy so that student wings of other political parties could not raise their voice on the campuses.

The new policy on bullying and ragging confirms that legal action will be taken against students, teachers, or staff of any educational institution as per existing criminal law if they are found to be involved directly or indirectly in bullying or ragging. When the nation notices that AL party activists fight the opposition activists brandishing arms in the open beside the police, and no legal action is taken against them, the new policy’s success to contain the campus menace is not possible.