Public university corruption worries educationists

Educationists expressed concern over endemic corruption and irregularities prompting unrests at public universities to hamper academic pursuits.

They said that the irregularities became a deep seated malignancy in many public universities, making the students also corrupt, who in the long run would spread corruption across the society.

Continuing unrests, they said, were also affecting the conventional teacher- student ties.

 They said that drastic change in the policy for running the public universities alone could reverse the situation.

They said that the government, the teachers, the university administrations, the society and the students need to work together to restore academic atmosphere on the campuses.

They expressed the views in the backdrop of the unrests plaguing the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka University, Pabna University of Science and Technology and Rajshahi University.

Teachers and students holding the banner, Jahangirnagar Against Corruption continued their all-out strike for the eighth-day on Saturday boycotting classes and examinations.

 In a new development, the Jahangirnagar University authorities filed a case against 50-60 unidentified protesters alleging that they had assaulted an assistant proctor on Friday night.

Since August 23, teachers and students of Jahangirnagar University are holding demonstrations demanding removal of the vice chancellor Farzana Islam, judicial inquiry into her mismanagement and alleged misappropriation of Tk 1445 crore development projects on the campus.

Students of Pabna University of Science and Technology on Saturday besieged the residence of vice-chancellor M Rostom Ali demanding his removal and also the removal of the proctor and student adviser alleging they too were involved with the corruption and other irregularities.

Since Wednesday, the students protests kicked off after show cause notices were served on  three teachers for their comments on the Facebook on a job seeker’s audio conversation with VC M Rostom Ali in which the jobseeker asked the VC to return  Tk eight lakh he had paid him as bribe to get a job.

Students of BUET boycotted classes and exams for the 15th day in a row demanding permanent expulsion of murderers of Abrar and framing the charges in the murder case.

They vowed to continue the demonstrations until the demands were met.

A group of Dhaka University students on Tuesday staged a sit-in in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s residence demanding ending the accommodation crisis at student dormitories.

Students of Rajshahi University continued their demonstrations demanding immediate removal of vice-chancellor M Abdus Sobhan for chanting ‘Jai Hind’ and pro-vice-chancellor Choudhury M Zakaria alleging that he bargained demanding more money as bribe for appointing a lecturer.

On October 19, students held demonstrations demanding safe campus after a number of RU students became victims of knife attacks.

Former Jahangirnagar University vice-chancellor professor Anwar Hossain told New Age that the common students want to finish their academic life on the schedule to be able to earn their living.

But, that’s what is not happening, as the students are leaving classes, boycotting exams at public universities, he said, adding that it was indicative of the serious malaises affecting the public universities.

He said that the unrest at the public universities cannot be brought to an end with bringing drastic changes in the policy for running the public universities.

He said that the public perception was that the universities’ authorities, ‘have no control over these seats of learning as they are controlled by the government and the bureaucrats.’

He said that teachers were losing their position in the society due to moral degradation.

As examples, he said, that many of the VCs and the provosts failed to establish good governance due to their weak moral standing.

First of all, he said, the government should take the steps to resolve these problems.

Former Dhaka University vice-chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique said, a gap in the teacher-student ties was hampering the academic environment on the campuses.

Arefin Siddique said that corruption and irregularities while admitting students, corruption in tender process created the gap  for which teacher-student gap had been created for which the students lost their confidence on the teachers.

He identified these factors as the causes of student protests on the campuses.

He said that corruption in university administrations was spreading among the students.

Dhaka University Institute of Education and Research former professor Quazi Afroz Jahanara blamed corruption for the unrests on the campuses of public universities.

Professor Kazi Shahidullah, chairman of the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh, told New Age Thursday that the unrest would delay the academic schedules. 

The education ministry, the teachers, the students and the media should act together to solve these problems, he said.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net