Editorial
Admission trade menace
It threatens to swamp the academia
THE diabolic interference by Chhatra League in the admission process of many educational institutions, from colleges to universities has become the order of the day, much to the chagrin of the citizenry. Given that the BCL, by its vicious involvement in the admission process, may have minted a huge sum of money, to the tune of one crore by one estimate, and that too, only from three colleges of the capital, it is no surprise that such lucrative business is being conducted -- thanks to the impunity leash. And to cap it, it is alleged that some teachers may have got involved in the trade, a few under pressure and some on their own volition.
We are only too familiar of the goings on in this matter. Some of the colleges had to stop admission under the diktat of the BCL because the college authorities would not consider the list drawn up by the BCL, under a most despicable description of 'political quota,' for admission. And yet we have not heard the AL taking action against these so-called student leaders.
Such a state of affairs demonstrates corruption in its most pernicious form foreboding a very bleak scenario for the country's standard of scholarship and learning. One wonders whether the political parties and the college and university authorities, some of who have expressed their utter helplessness to do anything to dissuade the BCL cadres from interfering in the intake process, realise the immense damage that's being wreaked on the moral fabric of the country. There is no competition, and merit has been shown the door; many with poor result are managing admission by paying huge sums to the student leaders.
We are in a state of moral decay that may not be easy to correct, and this situation has not come about in a day. It has evolved over the years where the cadres were given a long leash. They went about their business unimpeded and some were even rewarded for the use of their muscle power, and taken for an investment into future. The issue is far more serious than many would like to admit. It has very deep and long term implications for the nation. And there are very compelling reasons for all of us, particularly the political leaders, to do a bit of soul searching and roll back this sinister trend in scrounging money from ever newer pastures.
For the political leaders it is not enough to merely express regret. They cannot exonerate themselves from their responsibility for the prevailing situation. What we see happening in the colleges and universities is the result of inaction over a long period, which one suspects might have been deliberate in some cases.
The ruling party must act decisively or else risk a situation that might go beyond redemption, if it hasn't already.
We are only too familiar of the goings on in this matter. Some of the colleges had to stop admission under the diktat of the BCL because the college authorities would not consider the list drawn up by the BCL, under a most despicable description of 'political quota,' for admission. And yet we have not heard the AL taking action against these so-called student leaders.
Such a state of affairs demonstrates corruption in its most pernicious form foreboding a very bleak scenario for the country's standard of scholarship and learning. One wonders whether the political parties and the college and university authorities, some of who have expressed their utter helplessness to do anything to dissuade the BCL cadres from interfering in the intake process, realise the immense damage that's being wreaked on the moral fabric of the country. There is no competition, and merit has been shown the door; many with poor result are managing admission by paying huge sums to the student leaders.
We are in a state of moral decay that may not be easy to correct, and this situation has not come about in a day. It has evolved over the years where the cadres were given a long leash. They went about their business unimpeded and some were even rewarded for the use of their muscle power, and taken for an investment into future. The issue is far more serious than many would like to admit. It has very deep and long term implications for the nation. And there are very compelling reasons for all of us, particularly the political leaders, to do a bit of soul searching and roll back this sinister trend in scrounging money from ever newer pastures.
For the political leaders it is not enough to merely express regret. They cannot exonerate themselves from their responsibility for the prevailing situation. What we see happening in the colleges and universities is the result of inaction over a long period, which one suspects might have been deliberate in some cases.
The ruling party must act decisively or else risk a situation that might go beyond redemption, if it hasn't already.
THE incident at the Satkhira City College on Saturday, in which activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the associate organisation for students of the ruling Awami League, drove away at least 500 candidates who had turned up to take admission tests, in what the college principal termed in a complaint lodged with the police 'a bid to force illegal admission', is indeed shocking but hardly surprising. In the past 13 months since the Awami League-led government assumed office, the Chhatra League has consistently hogged the headlines, needless to say, for the wrong reasons. Its leaders and activists have run amok in different universities and colleges across the country. In the first couple of months or so, they went after their political opponents in a bid to establish territorial control over the campuses. Later, once their dominance over their political rivals was complete, they turned against each other. The violence perpetrated by BCL elements is, again, needless to say, mostly related to tussle for control over rent-seeking, tender manipulation, 'admission business', etc.
Meanwhile, the government and the ruling party have limited their response to the excesses committed by the unruly BCL elements mostly to talking tough. The prime minister has herself, on more occasions than one, warned of disciplinary and legal actions if any BCL leaders and activists were found to be involved in violence or violation of law and order. As indicated before, such warnings have hardly translated into decisive and demonstrative actions. Worse still, the government, of late, seems to have softened even its public posture against violence and vandalism on campus by unruly BCL elements. In the wake of the recent intra-BCL clash at Dhaka University, the home minister sought to play it down as a 'stray incident'. On Saturday, in response to the Satkhira incident, the education minister resorted to a clichéd defence. 'Such things [on-campus violence] are not happening all of a sudden,' he was quoted by New Age as saying in a report published on Sunday. 'It is the continuation of a legacy.'
The sustained inaction of the government and the ruling party, and the discernible change in their public posture tend to indicate that they are either unable or unwilling to rein in the unruly elements in the Chhatra League. However, the atrocities by unruly BCL elements, which have thus far resulted in the death of eight students, the latest being Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique at Dhaka University on Wednesday, and drastic deterioration in academic atmosphere and serious disruption in academic calendar at a number of universities and colleges across the country need to be stopped. As any decisive and demonstrative actions from the government or the ruling party look unlikely, the community of general students may have to fend for itself. The general students need to organise themselves and, with the help of left-leaning and social-democratic students' organisations that have a track record of upholding students' interest, build up resistance against such atrocities. At the same time, the parents and guardians of the unruly BCL elements should do their bit by trying to rein in their wards, as do non-partisan teachers, that is, if there are any.
Meanwhile, the government and the ruling party have limited their response to the excesses committed by the unruly BCL elements mostly to talking tough. The prime minister has herself, on more occasions than one, warned of disciplinary and legal actions if any BCL leaders and activists were found to be involved in violence or violation of law and order. As indicated before, such warnings have hardly translated into decisive and demonstrative actions. Worse still, the government, of late, seems to have softened even its public posture against violence and vandalism on campus by unruly BCL elements. In the wake of the recent intra-BCL clash at Dhaka University, the home minister sought to play it down as a 'stray incident'. On Saturday, in response to the Satkhira incident, the education minister resorted to a clichéd defence. 'Such things [on-campus violence] are not happening all of a sudden,' he was quoted by New Age as saying in a report published on Sunday. 'It is the continuation of a legacy.'
The sustained inaction of the government and the ruling party, and the discernible change in their public posture tend to indicate that they are either unable or unwilling to rein in the unruly elements in the Chhatra League. However, the atrocities by unruly BCL elements, which have thus far resulted in the death of eight students, the latest being Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique at Dhaka University on Wednesday, and drastic deterioration in academic atmosphere and serious disruption in academic calendar at a number of universities and colleges across the country need to be stopped. As any decisive and demonstrative actions from the government or the ruling party look unlikely, the community of general students may have to fend for itself. The general students need to organise themselves and, with the help of left-leaning and social-democratic students' organisations that have a track record of upholding students' interest, build up resistance against such atrocities. At the same time, the parents and guardians of the unruly BCL elements should do their bit by trying to rein in their wards, as do non-partisan teachers, that is, if there are any.
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