When a party is in power, the student wing of the party controls the dormitories of the public universities. This trend has been prevailing in all the post-nineties 'democratic' regimes.
The situation has become so insufferable that recently the teachers of Rajshahi University raised their voices against the forcible occupation of dorms by Chhatra League and they accommodated a number of students in the rooms allocated in their name. These rooms were occupied by the leaders and activists of Chhatra League for a long time, many of whom have lost studentship long ago.
It is not that this forcible occupation only took place in Rajshahi University. Resident students of almost all public universities are victims of this malpractice. From the grim picture of the dormitories in three public universities revealed in Prothom Alo Tuesday, it seem that there is no administration in the universities or halls. Dhaka University has more residential students and the problem is rampant there.
The leaders and activists of ruling AL student wing Chhatra League decide which students will be in which room. In almost all cases, they have introduced ‘mass room culture’. It is compulsory for the residents of these 'mass rooms' to attend the BCL processions and take training. Those who do not obey the orders of Chhatra League face torture. A student in Bijoy Ekattar Hall fainted due to the torture of Chhatra League in January.
Students of Chittagong University have to seek permission from Chhatra League to stay in the hall. For five years the hall administration has stopped allocating rooms. Chhatra League makes the allotment. On the other hand, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Sylhet has only 4.41 per cent seats under the control of the administration. Chhatra League controls about 79 per cent. However, Prothom Alo reports that the Socialist Student Front, Student Federation and Tabligh also control an exceptionally few seats in this university.
What do these incidents prove? Administration of public universities have no authority. Many incidents have taken place due to the forcible occupation of residential halls by pro-government student organisations and many students have stopped studying. But the university and hall administration did not take any effective action against this coercion. In many cases, they have submitted to Chhatra League.
While this anarchy and chaos is going on in the residential halls of public universities, the administration turned a blind eye. Administration officials are trying in vain to avoid liability saying everything is fine. It is more important for them to gain the favour of Chhatra League than to maintain a an environment conducive to education, students and the university.
It is because of this indiscretion of the university administration that the quality of our education is declining. The shame of not having any university in Bangladesh among the top 600 universities in the world is not bothering them. As long as this shameless administration remains the guardian of higher education, there does not seem to be any way to stop the deterioration of education in the country.
It is expected that the authority of the administration should be restored in the residential halls of the public universities, the violence of Chhatra League should be stopped and general students should be allotted seats in the halls on the basis of merit.