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Underdevelopment has its cost which is far greater than the mere incidental. Siddkur's is thus an avoidable personal tragedy. It could not have happened if the authorities moved fast and were serious enough to take up the affiliation matters. The tragic incident involving Siddiqur, however, has both diluted and shifted the focus from the main issue. Now Siddikur has become the issue instead of the fate of 167,000 students, writes Nilratan Halder

In case of the loss of his eyesight, an uncertain future stares in the fact of the young man and his poor mother. He lost his father at an early age and his mother struggled to educate her son with the hope that he would soon take over the responsibility of the family once he completes his graduation. He nurtured in his bosom the dream of becoming a government officer and pleaded with her to wait for two more years. Now that appears to be a distant dream.

To call it an accident is a gross misstatement. What prompted the students of Dhaka City's seven government colleges affiliated with the University of Dhaka after their dissociation with the National University to hold a demonstration exposes both underdevelopment and the lack of seriousness on the part of some highly placed responsible people. Relations between the National University and the University of Dhaka cannot be said to be ideal on account of personal antagonism between the highest authorities. Lack of cooperation and coordination between the two universities simply cast a dark shadow on the future of 167,000 students studying at those colleges. For months students have been passing agonising time in the absence of curricula or syllabuses for some and an announcement of exam date for others. How so often does it happen that students are holding rallies for announcement of exam dates? The demonstrating students at Shahbagh were exactly doing this. They were not protesting against anyone. Their objective was simple: just announce the exam date so that they do not have to waste their academic year. Usually demonstrations are held for opposite reasons but here is a most positive cause they were making a demand for.

And it is exactly for this reason Siddiqur is now going to lose his eyesight. The police know the language of force and indiscriminately use it. This was an apolitical demonstration and could be handled with care. After all, the demonstration was not violent. It is exactly here the authorities responsible for creating the mess also demonstrated how callous and insensitive they could be. Eminent educationist Jafar Iqbal has rightly accused the Dhaka University authorities for not doing enough to save the day for the highest seat of learning. It failed miserably when no one felt the need to arrive at the scene to tell that the exam schedule has been finalised two days ago. If this message was conveyed to the assembled students, they would leave the place happily.

Instead, the authorities maintained an atrocious silence over the decision they have already arrived at. Understandably, the preparation for a smooth transition and takeover is missing. Overall, it is a mess that the two universities have created for the students of the seven colleges. The students are now neither here nor there. The website of the NU has been deleted and the DU is yet to prepare the required dossier for the inducted students. Now the very objective of raising the quality of education of the seven colleges under the DU is fading out when the rudimentary tasks remain unfulfilled. These are signs of underdevelopment and inefficiency.

It is already late but the authorities need to gear up their efforts in order to bring the academic activities of the colleges in order. It is not a tall order, though. The university has its curricula and syllabuses. Those will mostly be recommended with minor changes for the colleges as well. Students not receiving lessons in the absence of syllabi cannot be blamed for demanding the same. If the crucial issues are not attended on a priority basis, more such unpleasant incidents cannot be ruled out. The name of the game is discharging duty responsibly.

However, responsibility is increasingly becoming a casualty at the hands of teachers at the highest seats of learning now. Or else, it would have been unthinkable for teachers getting involved in a scuffle with students over Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) election and the number of university senate members required for the election of the university's vice-chancellor.

nilratanhalder2000@yahoo.com

Read more from the original source:
Loss of Siddikur's eyesight and focus shift - Financial Express Bangladesh

This entry was posted on August 4, 2017 at 8:46 pm and is filed under Opthalmology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |