In the second episode of Tong Conversations, Syeda Salina Aziz, Fellow of Practice at BIGD, shared insights from the pulse survey on the public sentiments on student and teachers’ politics on campus. Then she invited BIGD’s young researchers Rabeena Sultana Ananna, Md. Karimul Islam, Md. Johirul Islam, and Ishraq Sabbir Nirjhor to reflect on the matter. Dr Asif Shahan, Visiting Research Fellow of BIGD, and Mr. Kamruz Zaman, one of our Research Coordinators, also took part in the conversation.
The discussion began with a shared recognition of how, over time, traditional student politics had morphed into a tool of power and control. Discussants described a common pattern: student wings of political parties, empowered by their political patrons, would often forcibly occupy student accommodations, harass and torture students, and even, at times, carry out extortion under party banners.
“ছাত্র রাজনীতি নিষিদ্ধ হওয়া উচিত কারণ এটি জাতীয় রাজনৈতিক দলের সাথে connected, এবং সেখান থেকেই তাদের ক্ষমতা আসছে এবং এই ক্ষমতাকে তারা exploit করছে।“ (Student politics should be prohibited because it is connected to national political parties, which are the sources of their power, and they are exploiting this power”.)—this one line from Johirul summarized how Chatro League’s actions were carried out during the Awami-led regime and why citizens have become fed up with campus-based student politics.
However, while participants strongly opposed the existing model of student politics, they envisioned a new framework for student representation. Independent student ogranizations could potentially serve as a check and balance, ensuring political accountability and amplifying student voices on crucial issues affecting university life. The conversation took an interesting turn when addressing the fundamental right to political expression. While condemning institutional political activities, participants acknowledged the importance of preserving individual political rights. Students should retain the freedom to hold and express political ideologies, provided these expressions don’t impede others’ rights or disrupt the academic environment.
Some discussants offered counterarguments to a complete ban, highlighting the historical role of student politics in nation-building. Despite its current state, politics is often a valuable networking platform for students. Engaging in politics can also potentially help students develop key skills. Rather than absolute prohibition, they advocated for systematic reforms to address the root causes of political corruption in educational institutions.
In the final segment, discussants found common ground in criticizing the involvement of teachers in politics. The consensus was that teaching is a noble profession and truly demands unbiased dedication towards the values and overall well-being of the students and institutions. Recent events during the uprising demonstrated how political affiliations could compromise this fundamental responsibility and how many teachers had to remain silent out of fear due to their political affiliation. There should not be anything that would compromise an educators’ primary responsibility to their students and institutions, but it happened nonetheless in various forms across the country.
The discussion drew to a close with a shared understanding that Bangladesh’s post-revolutionary landscape demands a fundamental reimagining of campus politics from its core. The future can hold a new model of student representation—one that preserves individual political rights while preventing the institutional abuse that has plagued universities for generations.
