Teachers and students on the streets, where's the government?

When Awami League formed the government in 2009, there was no difference in the speeches and statements made by the ruling party leaders and the university teacher leaders. For the first time now they are in confrontation.

After Ershad was toppled from power in 1990, there had been no instance of public university teachers observing a continuous strike in unison. They had once taken up a movement in 2015 concerning discrepancies in the new wage board, but that was resolved through discussions.

During the rule of the military-backed caretaker government, even when a number of teachers were arrested, the teachers did not have the courage to go on strike. Later even when there was a situation conducive to launching a movement for just demands, the pro-government teachers would say that they couldn't take to the streets to facilitate the teachers of the BNP-Jamaat camp. There used to be a balance in the teachers association before, with teachers of both camps in the executive committee of the association. But there has been such extreme politicisation over the past 15 years in the recruitment of teachers that the pro-government teachers now rule the roost. In many universities, teachers of the BNP ilk are too scared to even take part in the election.

Now teachers upholding the spirit of pro-liberation war as well as the so-called opposing camp are both in a continuous movement, protesting against the government's universal pension scheme "Prottoy". They started with meetings, rallies and submission of a memorandum. They observed partial work stoppage. But when the government made no response, from 1 July they have been on all-out strike. They are continuing with rallies and meetings on campus. The teacher leaders claim that they will continue the movement until the Prottoy scheme is revoked.

The government has introduced the universal pension scheme in 403 autonomous institutions, including the public universities. It is not understood why the government took up such a discriminatory scheme. Without even delving deep into the details of the scheme, the question must be asked as to why there will be a separate scheme for government officials after a year?

Meanwhile, the students against discrimination are demonstrating against the quota system in government service. The government has one set of rules for the class one and two employees and another set of rules for the class three and four employees.

In 2018 the students had not demanded a complete abolition of the quota system. They wanted reforms. The 56 per cent quota was unfair and illogical. As the teachers are on strike, the students did not have to make any official announcement of boycotting classes and exams. Their movement has spilled over from the campus to the streets. College students are joining the university students too. The highways are being blocked. As a result, the economy is being affected along with education.

After the anti-discrimination students on Sunday took up the "Bangla blockade", they carried out the same programme on Monday too. There are no classes or exams being held in the 39 public universities of the country. The employees are not working either. In that sense, higher education has stalled to a halt in Bangladesh. There is no saying when this situation will be resolved.

Teachers are saying that the movement will continue until their demands are met. Students are also saying that they will remain on the streets until the quota system is abolished.

In the past we would see that teachers would at least lend moral support to justified demands of the students. And students too would express their solidarity with the justified demands of the teachers. This time, however, while both teachers and students are rallying on campus, they are not standing by each other. At least the teachers are certainly not backing the students.

The teachers are hoping that the government will acquiesce to their demands through negotiations. At this juncture if they back the students' movement, the government will not take this favourably. They do not want to displease the government.

General secretary of the Dhaka University Teachers Association, Professor Zeenat Huda, said that they did not want students to be involved in the teachers movement. She said, "We did not want any students to be involved in our movement. We did not feel the need to inform anyone. This is entirely a teachers' movement, to be run by teachers. There is no involvement of the students with this." (The Daily Star, 8 July 2024).

Though the university library, administrative work, classes and exams have been halted for over a week now, there is no sign of any government initiative to assuage the situation. Even the education minister is silent.

While the teachers may be oblivious regarding the students' movement, the students are not so impervious about the teachers' movement. One of the main coordinators of the 'Student Movement Against Discrimination', Dhaka University student Nahid Islam, said, "On 1 July we announced our solidarity with the teachers' demands. We called upon the teachers for reforms in the central library and the science library. They have not responded."

Dhaka University Chhatra Union president Meghmallar Basu had a different narrative. He said, "A sort of negative impression has been created about the teachers because of the role they had long played regarding the student movements, and the manner in which they campaigned overtly and covertly for Awami League before the election. When students at various times launched movements for their rights, with similar demands, the teachers would put pressure on them to join classes. So the students have no interest in their movement."

The Chhatra League stance in the anti-quota movement is confusing. Dhaka University Chhatra League general secretary Tanveer Hasan Saikat said that they supported the anti-quota movement. But he also commented that 'evil forces' was now leaning on this movement too. Then again, certain over-enthusiastic Chhatra League activists term this movement as anti-government and have obstructed in in several places.

At the moment, Dhaka University teachers are embroiled in their movement. The students are involved in their movement. No classes or exams are being held. The government is taking no initiative to resolve this stalemate. Most of the talkative ministers and Awami League leaders are silent. A few of them are making very measured statements.

Speaking at the Jubo Mahila League anniversary on Sunday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said, the quota issue should be resolved by the court. She questioned the justification of students rallying in the movement instead of carrying on with their studies. On the same day, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader said they were closely observing the anti-quota movement of the students and the anti-pension movement of the teachers. But no one knows when this close observation will end.

It does not seem that the government policymakers are taking into account the damages caused by even one day's closure of the university. The offspring of most of the leaders study overseas. They build up their careers abroad. So they really have no need to worry about the country's education. But the students who study in the country's public universities mostly come from vary common families. They do not have the ability to study abroad or in the private universities within the country. Their studies will be harmed for as long as the public universities remain closed.                     

* Sohrab Hassan is joint editor of Prothom Alo and a poet  

* This column appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir