Education adviser issues 6 guidelines for all university VCs

Education adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud has advised six guidelines for the vice-chancellors of all the public and private universities in the country.

These guidelines were mentioned in a letter signed by the education adviser sent out on Thursday, 28 November.

The education adviser addressed all the different incidents occurring in different places around the country recently and the issue of student protest in the letter.

The education minister said that in the context of various incidents in different places of the country, students have held protests and in some cases, untoward incidents like mob justice have occurred in the universities.

As a result, the academic activities are being disrupted on one hand while a concern has arisen about the educational environment being threatened on the other. This situation alongside hampering students’ future and tarnishing the reputation of the universities on the whole can also be the reason for social unrest.

In the interest of maintaining a proper environment in the educational institutions and upholding the quality of education, it is essential for the university administration to adopt effective measures.

The six guidelines advised by the education adviser are:

Organising regular workshops, seminars and discussions in order to raise awareness about the significance of peace and discipline among the students. In addition to that, take initiative for extra-curricular activities like debate competitions, cultural events, sports competition etc.

Encouraging students to be respectful towards law, refraining them from creating a situation of tension on political issues, and informing them about the risks and consequences of activities like mob justice.

Deploy adequate number of security guards to strengthen the security system on the campus. Implement effective monitoring system at the entry and exit points of the campus.

Continue timely discussions with all sides to avoid clashes. Maintain close communication with local law enforcement agencies to take swift measures in case of violence and illegal activities.

Take initiatives to adopt quick measures according to the existing law in case of any untoward incident. Give decisions through discussions on relevant issues at the administrative committee of the university.  

Take effective measures to ensure that the academic environment is not disturbed. Implement effective methods like class rescheduling.

Preparing regular reports about the situation in the universities and sending those to the education ministry and the University Grants Commission (UGC) if needed. Regularly monitor the progress of the adopted measures to maintain a proper environment.