VCs call for ways to combat militancy on campus

Vice-chancellors (VCs) of public universities said yesterday that attention should be given to public and private universities, as some students and teachers were found to be involved in recent militant attacks. They observed that campuses of pubic universities had been the breeding ground for terror acts in the past as well, and the matter should be taken seriously. They also suggested that the authorities should be aware of recruitment of teachers in the universities so that anti-Liberation elements do not become teachers.
The VCs further said teachers of public universities cannot evade responsibility, as there are reports that some teachers train students in militancy. They also said that they have taken steps in their respective universities to weed out militant elements.
Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the defeated forces of the 1971 Liberation War are involved in militant attacks under different names, like the JMB and the Ansarullah Bangla Team. But now it has come in the name of the Islamic State (IS).
The observation came at a meeting on ‘Recent Situation and Ensuring Fair Environment of Education in Universities’. It was organised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) at the International Mother Language Institute in the capital yesterday. Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid was in the chair.
In the opening speech, UGC chairman Prof. Abdul Mannan said though militancy is a global issue, the recent militant attacks in the country had tarnished the image of Bangladesh abroad.
He said a group of young people are becoming involved in militancy in the name of religion, and it has become a major challenge for the country to remove this cancerous growth.  He also said that the universities would take steps to teach about the Bangla language and the emergence of Bangladesh so that students can learn their culture and history.
Prof. Muhammad Mizanuddin, vice-chancellor of Rajshahi University, said: “Bangladesh is passing through a critical situation. We need to think what is happening in the universities. Terrorism has been cultivated in Rajshahi and Chittagong Universities for a long time. Who did it? We have to think about it.”  
He said there is no active students’ union in the public universities. So-called student leaders are involved in extortion and the general students do not want to follow them. There is absence of cultural activities in the public universities, which are necessary for students, he added.
Prof. Dr Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury, VC of Chittagong University, said: “Our university used to be like a mini-cantonment where terrorism was manufactured. But now we have taken zero tolerance towards it. We have removed all books of the Jamaat-Shibir from the library.”
Prof. Dr Farzana Islam, VC of Jahangirnagar University, said: “There are teachers who are not honest. They move here and there for money. Such teachers don’t have the right to advise students. We feel ashamed to think of students as leaders when they are found to be involved in extortion.”
Prof. Dr Md Ali Akbar, VC of Bangladesh Agricultural University, said: “We have lapses in the universities and we need to correct them so that students cannot be misled.” Prof. Dr Kamrul Hasan Khan, VC of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, said: “The young generation is being brainwashed and we are sitting idle. We have to work together.”  Prof. Dr Harun-or-Rashid, VC of National University, said: “If any untoward incident takes place in the university, the authorities have to take the responsibility. What is happening in private universities has to be taken seriously.” ASM Maksud Kamal, secretary general of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers' Associations (FBUTA), urged the VCs to be aware about recruitment of teachers so that Shibir elements cannot enter the temples of learning.
Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan, senior secretary, ministry of home affairs, said: “We cannot speak openly before others. We need to think—will our speech create any reaction later?” About militant activities, the home minister said: “The militants are not from any new organisation. It is the old force that was against the emergence of Bangladesh. They are making militants in the new name for Jihad. Earlier, it was the Harkat-ul-Jihad, JMB and the Ansarullah Bangla Team. Now it has come in the name of IS. The young generation is being motivated by being given wrong interpretations of the Holy Quran. They are brainwashed and told that they would go to heaven by killing people. Inform us where meritorious and promising students go. Militancy is a global issue. We need a social movement to resist the militants, whose number is limited.”

 

 

VCs call for ways to combat militancy on campus

Vice-chancellors (VCs) of public universities said yesterday that attention should be given to public and private universities, as some students and teachers were found to be involved in recent militant attacks. They observed that campuses of pubic universities had been the breeding ground for terror acts in the past as well, and the matter should be taken seriously. They also suggested that the authorities should be aware of recruitment of teachers in the universities so that anti-Liberation elements do not become teachers. The VCs further said teachers of public universities cannot evade responsibility, as there are reports that some teachers train students in militancy. They also said that they have taken steps in their respective universities to weed out militant elements. Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the defeated forces of the 1971 Liberation War are involved in militant attacks under different names, like the JMB and the Ansarullah Bangla Team. But now it has come in the name of the Islamic State (IS). The observation came at a meeting on Recent Situation and Ensuring Fair Environment of Education in Universities. It was organised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) at the International Mother Language Institute in the capital yesterday. Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid was in the chair. In the opening speech, UGC chairman Prof. Abdul Mannan said though militancy is a global issue, the recent militant attacks in the country had tarnished the image of Bangladesh abroad. He said a group of young people are becoming involved in militancy in the name of religion, and it has become a major challenge for the country to remove this cancerous growth. He also said that the universities would take steps to teach about the Bangla language and the emergence of Bangladesh so that students can learn their culture and history. Prof. Muhammad Mizanuddin, vice-chancellor of Rajshahi University, said: Bangladesh is passing through a critical situation. We need to think what is happening in the universities. Terrorism has been cultivated in Rajshahi and Chittagong Universities for a long time. Who did it? We have to think about it. He said there is no active students union in the public universities. So-called student leaders are involved in extortion and the general students do not want to follow them. There is absence of cultural activities in the public universities, which are necessary for students, he added. Prof. Dr Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury, VC of Chittagong University, said: Our university used to be like a mini-cantonment where terrorism was manufactured. But now we have taken zero tolerance towards it. We have removed all books of the Jamaat-Shibir from the library. Prof. Dr Farzana Islam, VC of Jahangirnagar University, said: There are teachers who are not honest. They move here and there for money. Such teachers dont have the right to advise students. We feel ashamed to think of students as leaders when they are found to be involved in extortion. Prof. Dr Md Ali Akbar, VC of Bangladesh Agricultural University, said: We have lapses in the universities and we need to correct them so that students cannot be misled. Prof. Dr Kamrul Hasan Khan, VC of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, said: The young generation is being brainwashed and we are sitting idle. We have to work together. Prof. Dr Harun-or-Rashid, VC of National University, said: If any untoward incident takes place in the university, the authorities have to take the responsibility. What is happening in private universities has to be taken seriously. ASM Maksud Kamal, secretary general of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Associations (FBUTA), urged the VCs to be aware about recruitment of teachers so that Shibir elements cannot enter the temples of learning. Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan, senior secretary, ministry of home affairs, said: We cannot speak openly before others. We need to thinkwill our speech create any reaction later? About militant activities, the home minister said: The militants are not from any new organisation. It is the old force that was against the emergence of Bangladesh. They are making militants in the new name for Jihad. Earlier, it was the Harkat-ul-Jihad, JMB and the Ansarullah Bangla Team. Now it has come in the name of IS. The young generation is being motivated by being given wrong interpretations of the Holy Quran. They are brainwashed and told that they would go to heaven by killing people. Inform us where meritorious and promising students go. Militancy is a global issue. We need a social movement to resist the militants, whose number is limited.