The Independent, BD: The University Grants Commission (UGC) will now monitor activities of private universities, including the involvement of their students and teachers in subversive and political acts. UGC sources said the recent involvement of the students of some private universities in violent activities have raised concern. All private universities should ensure a peaceful academic environment and their teachers should play a vital role in motivating students against going wayward, they added.
“The involvement of private university students in violent activities is unfortunate. We’ve taken the matter seriously. We don’t want academic activities to be hampered even for a single day,” UGC chairman Prof. Abdul Mannan told The Independent in an interview on Thursday at his office in the capital.
He said young students of schools and colleges staged a powerful movement for safe roads following the killing of two students in a bus accident in the capital. “The students’ movement for safe roads is just. It’s our demand too,” he added.
“Unfortunately, some evil elements have hijacked the movement and got involved in violent activities. The movement of the young students had a purpose. But those who hijacked the movement did it to serve petty political interests. Problems emerged when political interests took hold of the movement,” he added.
“We don’t want any university to remain closed for a single day. We think university students are responsible adults. They know what is right and what is wrong. They have this power of assessment. They will not get involved in such activities in future by hearing rumours,” he explained.
“But we’ve observed with anxiety that students of some private universities got involved in violence on August 6. By that
time the movement launched by young students had stopped. Such violence is not acceptable,” he said.
Abdul Mannan also said the education ministry and the UGC had held a meeting with the vice-chancellors of private universities on Wednesday, following the involvement of students of some of such institutions in the violent incidents in the capital. “We had a meeting with the vice-chancellors of private universities on Wednesday. We’ll now make a note of their suggestions and opinions. Next, I’ll talk to the education minister, Nurul Islam Nahid, to determine the next course of action in this regard,” he added.
“We are thinking of monitoring the activities of the students and teachers of private universities. We may issue directives to the private universities to keep the academic atmosphere free of any sort of violent activities,” he added.
The UGC chairman said teachers should play a vital role in advising their students about the dangers of paying heed to basless rumours. Asked whether the education ministry and the UGC would play any role in releasing the detained students, Abdul Mannan said: “The education ministry and the UGC have no authority to announce a general amnesty for the students who got involved in violent activities.” “If anyone commits any offence, it’s up to the court to take action against them,” he added.
On Wednesday, education minister Nurul Islam Nahid said the detained students would not get a general amnesty as they were involved in violent activities. At least 22 students of private universities like North South University, East West University, South East University and BRAC were detained by law enforcers for creating anarchy and acts of vandalism.
The UGC chairman said the involvement of private university students in violence was not acceptable. The university authorities should seriously handle the matter so that their students do not get involved in chaotic activities, he added.
He also said that they were serious about ensuring that private universities followed the rules and regulations properly. He observed that many of the private universities in the capital were not shifting to their permanent campuses. He expressed optimism they would move to their permanent campuses for carrying out academic activities. About 50 private universities are currently located in the capital and many of them have not shifted to their permanent campuses.