Various discussions are going on whether there will be student politics or not, what will be its form. There are different opinions about the definition of student politics. In general, student politics is the dominant decision-making process for students to manage co-curricular or extra-curricular activities such as education, culture, sports, entertainment and social service. There are some students who have natural leadership qualities.
Because they have a hypnotic personality to influence the students. Naturally, in student politics, student leaders with these inherent good qualities are supposed to lead the students. But in reality
This does not happen. This is mainly because politics is an activity in which various extra-academic elements come into play.
Because in reality, student leaders use various tactics and force to strengthen their position in the decision-making process of any student group activity. Tactics include subterfuge, characterizing opponents, and favoring followers. Use of force includes intimidation and assault. According to the principles of political science, politicians always use these tools like manipulation and force to assert their supremacy.
Skilled student leaders then receive this support from forces outside the educational institution. Student leaders in Bangladesh usually derive this necessary power from the dominant political party outside the educational institution. Thus, in the political reality of Bangladesh, student politics has now become a part of party politics.
In the ongoing political climate, many universities and colleges have banned student politics by executive order. Now the question is whether it is possible to stop student politics? The answer is not possible.
Because there is no society without politics. Where there is society, there is politics. The demand to ban student politics is practically a form of student politics. Although it is said to stop student politics through the executive order, the student leaders will continue to use various tactics and force to strengthen their dominance in party activities due to the desire to establish leadership. In the meantime, leaders of student organizations belonging to all political parties, except Chhatra League, have entered the hostels of various universities and colleges and are participating in the programs of their respective political parties. In such a political reality of Bangladesh, it is necessary to think about how to start positive student politics without the influence of political parties without stopping student politics. It can be assumed that positive student politics can be introduced by reducing the influence of student organizations belonging to political parties by taking two steps.
First of all, it is necessary to introduce the rule of allotting hall rooms to younger students on a priority basis to limit the opportunities of older students to conduct political activities in university and college dormitories. Currently, there is an unreasonable system of allotment of rooms in residential universities and colleges where it takes years for a fresher to get a room in the hostel. But those who are old, especially involved in student politics, can hold the room for a few years.
For that reason, in the current system, a young, immature student has to face many economic, social, political and security risks without understanding the situation of the university. And on the other hand, in this system, the seniors have the opportunity to be comfortable and have the opportunity to dominate the freshers. So a new student, who has just passed higher secondary, has to run once to the hostel administration and another time to the senior student leaders to get a residential room. This scramble to get a room in the hostel acts as a regulator of student politics. Therefore, it is necessary to break this rule of allotment of rooms in hostels and introduce logical rules for allotment of living rooms in the hostels, so that fresh students get allotment of living rooms on priority basis in the hostels.
According to the proposed system, first year and second year students will also be allocated on priority basis according to the number of living rooms in the hostels. That is, the proposed room allotment rule will not be based on merit, but will be based on academic year. However, after allotment of rooms to first and second year students, if some rooms are vacant for third year students, they may be allotted rooms on the basis of merit. Due to the short number of residence halls, the students of the third academic year or above will give up the rooms in favor of the younger students. Because then they will have enough experience to move out of the hostel and make their own living arrangements. Therefore, in this proposed process, the seniors cannot create a cabal of student politics by keeping the living room in the hostel. For that reason, there will be no opportunity for any kind of conflicts, fights and quarrels in the hostels. Without that, the current process of student leaders influencing the national leadership to inform teachers will lose its effectiveness.
Secondly, in order to create an environment for systematic student politics in universities and colleges, it is necessary to hold student council elections consistently every year. It is to be noted that Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party- these political parties in the past have stopped holding student parliament elections in universities and colleges. The objective was to expand their political sphere of influence by connecting students with party politics through political influence. Because the political leaders know that if there is a chance of systematic elections, the alternative leadership that is formed at the regional level does not have a chance to exert immoral influence on them. Illegal money making through extortion, corruption and usurpation is also stopped.
Due to these reasons, common students have a somewhat hostile attitude towards the ruling political party. It can be seen from the past history of student parliament elections, usually the student organization belonging to the opposition political party or the neutral student organization wins the student parliament rather than the ruling political party. So, taking lessons from the history of student council, we can say that if student council elections are held at the central level of universities and colleges every year, it will create a positive environment for student politics in universities and colleges. Moreover, an alternative political leadership will emerge in the country. This leadership will add positive elements to national politics as an alternative to patriarchal political leadership. As a result, a democratic political atmosphere will be created in the country.
Therefore, instead of banning student politics, it is necessary to introduce positive student politics without the influence of political parties by taking steps in the suggested way.
