Teachers' Network urges reforms, seeks end to political influence in universities

The University Teachers' Network has called for an end to political interference in universities and urged reforms to improve education standards.

The appeal was made at a seminar titled "How Do We Want the University to Be? University Reform Ideas," held at the Prof Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury auditorium of the Social Science Building at the University of Dhaka on Monday.

Among the attendees were Prof Dr Gitiara Nasreen, Prof Dr Md Kamrul Hasan Mamun, Anu Muhammad Anisur Rahman, and others.

They addressed a wide range of topics, including the impact of political interference on academic quality and the need for reforms.

“Party politics dominates academic quality in public universities,” said Farha Tanzim of the Department of Economics at Islamic University. “Barring a few of the top ones, even private universities have not seen any progress; in many cases, they have become nothing more than buildings selling certificates. The University Teachers' Network is proposing a transformation and reform framework.”

The University Teachers' Network's written statement highlighted key problems along with proposed solutions. It criticised the government's authority for usurping university autonomy through partisan politics, which has come to dominate university education. The statement also pointed out the influence of neoliberal policies, particularly the University Grants Commission's 20-year (2006-2026) strategy paper, which pressures public universities to increase internal revenue while reducing government allocations.

Regarding allocation and research in education, the statement noted that Bangladesh lags behind South Asian standards in terms of educational funding as a percentage of GDP or the national budget. The issue of recruitment and admission was also raised, with concerns that merit has become irrelevant in the recruitment and promotion of teachers, who are often appointed based on party affiliations. The MCQ-based admission process was criticized for failing to attract university-fit students, leading to a decline in classroom merit.

Another major issue discussed was student housing and student politics. The seminar highlighted the poor living and study conditions in dormitories, which have become breeding grounds for a culture of intimidation that is contrary to the principles of a liberal and free-thinking university environment. Political activities in these halls were described as heavily regulated, except for those aligned with the government.

"When you talk about student politics, terror politics comes to mind. The reason behind this is not the Chhatra League. The Chhatra League does not mean terror politics; they are not always terrorists. When the Awami League is in power, the Chhatra League becomes terrorist. When the party in power changes, the student organisation of the ruling party becomes terrorist. This started with the NSF. After our independence, we thought it ended, but we have seen it repeat multiple times," said Anu Muhammad, an economist and professor at Jahangirnagar University.

"A lot depends on how the state views the university. If the state wants teachers and students to have no creative activity, it will need thugs and a spineless administration to help them. The coexistence of thugs and a spineless administration is what the government desires, and fulfilling this wish has resulted in today's situation," he added.

He also emphasised the need for reform in education policy. "There is a lot of research going on inside and outside the country, but the general public is unaware of it. This is a major problem in our country's education system. Another issue is the lack of reference books available in Bengali. We preach about the importance of studying in our mother tongue, but we ultimately don’t follow through. Teachers recommend books as references, knowing that students won't be able to read them," he said.

Dr Syed Nizar, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Jahangirnagar University, warned against the depoliticization of universities, describing it as a tactic used by dictators and colonial rulers to suppress free expression.

The University Teachers' Network's written statement suggested that the government should trust universities and refrain from using them for its own interests.

It called for an end to government interference and for allowing universities to operate independently.

The statement also argued that Bangladesh’s public universities should move away from the commercialization policies formulated by the World Bank and ensure higher education remains accessible to the poor.

"Teachers need to create conditions of accountability in their primary task of teaching. The working hours of teachers should be specified. Teaching should be the first job of a teacher, with research as the second. A good teacher may not be a good researcher, and vice versa. Therefore, a system of load distribution can be developed according to the interests and abilities of the teacher. The government should allocate substantial funds for research, and the predominance of group identity in obtaining research grants must stop. The admission test procedure should be changed step by step, starting with moving away from a purely MCQ-based entrance exam to an aptitude test. In the first year, everyone should be given seats, then gradually, seats can be distributed based on merit and demand,” the statement read.

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