The cardinal sin!
M. Sabbir U Chowdhury, Lecturer, Dept. of Civil Engineering, The University of Asia Pacific
I was talking with some people in a meeting in Toronto. As usual, in a meeting of Bangladeshis everyone was talking about the current politics and violence in Bangladesh. Most of the people in that meeting were very much worried about the situation prevailing in their beloved country. I was the only one who is here not to stay rather to spend some time in academic activities. So everyone was asking me about the actual condition of educational institutes and the cause behind the changing trend in student politics. I personally know what they were saying is not at all wrong . They were raising the same questions that I had in my mind and I am carrying those to find the appropriate answers. On the campus of an internationally renowned university a very famous writer and a professor of that university is brutally attacked. A former president is attacked in front of the police by alleged terrorists. Almost all public universities are running with an unthinkably long session jam. The faculties are going on strike to have an elected vice-chancellor. In another university, the teachers are calling hunger strike for their promotion. All of us may treat things as a third world country's regular scenario. But we are not trying to get at the root of it. We are just trying to have ad-hoc solutions. If we look deep inside these incidents, all of these are the reflection of the frustration of the student community. They are being used by the politicians. Students are dragged into this field. If anyone takes BUET as a case study, it is evident from this institution that it functioned very efficiently when student politics was banned. Well, I admit that a student body is very much needed to voice the grievances of students . But if the legal student representatives and the student unions are not active and the elected members are too aged to represent the students, I really don't believe that there is any logic to retain this union in the university, as it is ruining the general student's life, rather than improving it. All the political parties are practising the same strategy. They are making the students their political weapon which is not at all ethical. Please stop this practice with the students.
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