On VCs

We all held the few universities we had before independence with great respect. We took pride in referring to Dhaka University as the Oxford of the East. The universities then were staffed by teachers of high academic credentials and men/women of the highest integrity. Take Dhaka University as an example and let us compare. In the 1960s, the entire arts and social science faculties could boast of no more than a few professors, the highest teaching status among university teachers. Now any department of Dhaka University has a few times more professors than a few faculties taken together before 1971. Had this been due to high academic credentials of the professors, we would have felt proud. But no, the promotions in the universities these days follow bureaucratic principles and teachers are promoted on the basis of number of years served at each level rather than academic excellence alone. This explains the presence of a few dozen professors in the Department of Economics or Political Science in Dhaka University today. The University teachers themselves have downgraded their respect by such actions for which they themselves are to blame.

Then of course while everyone blames the students for indiscipline in the universities, no one speaks of the actions of our teachers in encouraging and sustaining such indiscipline. Dhaka University teachers have been known to indulge in all sorts of activities totally detrimental to an academic environment. I don't want to name such activities but I am sure the readers know what I am referring to. University teachers world-wide have professional CVs that are readily available. We would be interested to see such CVs of, say, the professors of one or two departments of Dhaka University to know where they stand on a comparative scale between now and pre 1971 and in comparison to their counterparts abroad.

The activities of the past two DU VCs should be enough to suggest that the VCs are getting more respect than they deserve. There may be fingers pointed at the political leadership for such people being appointed as VCs in defence of the University teachers. However, that would be unfair because we all know how much DU and other university teachers themselves indulge in politics and keep contact with the politicians. Name one university abroad where teachers do politics as much as the teachers of DU? Does any university abroad have teachers divided into such absurdities as White, Pink or whatever panels as the teachers of Dhaka University? University teachers aboard give up any work that interferes with their academic pursuit. How on earth our teachers find time for such extra-academic work as politics escapes my comprehension.

So in answer to the plea for higher status of VCs by Mr. Haque, my plea to him and his colleague is -- be teachers first and teachers last and then your VCs will be reinstated in the position that they once held and which you seek.