Forced resignation of teachers, many are suffering from trauma

I knew I had to resign. I also knew that the students would surround my office and that they were looking for me. As a result, I signed the resignation letter and sent it to the office. But they were not satisfied with it. They wanted me to resign in front of them.

The words were spoken by a university teacher. Recently he resigned from his duties. But he did not want to be identified for security reasons and 'for fear of further harassment'.

The teacher said that he did not dare to go to the department to avoid being 'humiliated' by the students. But the students were pressing him to go to the office.

I understood that they would do video and that any bad situation could happen when I go there. So in the end I did not agree to go, said the teacher.

But without going to the department, the teacher found that the students were coming towards his residence after collecting the address.

It was scary. Students started coming towards my house in droves. I and my family were very scared. Panic spread throughout the building. I was then forced to leave my home with my family and move to another place.

The teacher, who does not want to reveal his name, says that he is a member of the pro-Awami League Blue Party and did not participate in the students' movement, which forced him to resign.

I have accepted my resignation. They went all the way to my office no problem. But why come to my house? Why will my family be targeted? – asked the teacher.

After the downfall of the Awami League government in Bangladesh on August 5, the teachers holding administrative duties including VC, Pro-VC in various universities started resigning one by one.

In the meantime, news started coming from various universities that some teachers were being harassed.

There are also allegations of teachers being surrounded and forced to resign, humiliated and threatened door to door.

Some of the teachers who have worked for the government and taken a stand against the movement are being threatened with dismissal and pressured.

But how is the situation in universities? And the student-teacher relationship is now in what state?

Many teachers are afraid

Dhaka University teacher Chandranath Poddar. On August 21st, after working in his department, he found out that the students below were waiting for him.

Later, students came to the department and started asking various questions to Chandranath Poddar.

Why did he not play a role in the student movement? Why did he participate in the program of the Blue Party? He was asked about these issues. He was later informed by other teachers that his class would be boycotted.

Chandranath Poddar said, I heard that they said, they will not do my class. I have also heard that I will have to retire permanently from the university as well.

Chandranath Poddar is a teacher of Mathematics Department of Dhaka University. According to the sources of the department, Chandranath Poddar did not participate in the student movement, the students pressured him to quit his job immediately.

This teacher, upset by the students' clamor and multifaceted questions, is no longer going to the department.

Chandranath Poddar said that after this incident fear has entered into his family.

All in all, many of us teachers are now in a vulnerable situation. The family is worried to know this. I have a daughter. She cried. My wife never thought that I would face such questions from students.

Someone on Facebook shared the screenshot that I went on the talk show. But I did not say anything against the movement in the talk show. I am in favor of movement, in favor of quota reforms. They didn't watch the talk show, they didn't read anything. That's why I wanted to solve it by talking to them myself.

Chandranath Poddar, however, feels that the students' anger is 'justified'. He expressed hope that the situation will improve soon.

The fact that any teacher is being harassed and forced to resign in the university has recently been widely discussed by the Dean of Arts Faculty of Dhaka University. After a video of Abdul Bashir's resignation went viral on social media.

In that video, it can be seen that this teacher is signing the resignation papers as per their demands under the pressure of the students.

Dr. since the incident. Abdul Bachir is mostly hidden from the public eye. He refused to comment further when contacted.

A few other teachers of different universities are also reported to have been insulted.

Although there is no video or picture of these incidents.

A professor who witnessed teacher harassment at a university last week said a junior teacher in his department was 'forced to apologise' by students.

In addition, he resigned from a departmental responsibility immediately, and was subjected to mental torture.

But when the teacher who was 'tortured and molested' was contacted, he avoided talking about such incidents. He said that the students did not pressure him but he voluntarily resigned.

'I wanted to commit suicide'

When contacted, at least three teachers who have been humiliated, have called other teachers themselves for help and are staying off campus for fear of being attacked by students, refused to speak.

Finally, a teacher spoke on condition of anonymity. He said that he thought of committing suicide due to humiliation.

When the university opened after the fall of the government, one day I went to the department. That day I was almost blocked in my office by some students. A colleague of mine, a male teacher, planned and brought the students.

They were abusing in various ways. I was saying that I am a supporter of the government. At one point my male colleague even tried to kill me. The situation was so disgraceful that I even thought of suicide later, said the teacher.

Student-teacher rift?

In the universities, it is known that pro-Awami teachers and those who did not directly speak in favor of the movement, in many cases they have been harassed.

As teachers have been targeted by creating banners, listings, and campaigning on Facebook, many have been threatened or searched at their homes.

According to political analyst Zobaida Nasreen, the situation in the universities is about to destroy the student-teacher relationship.

He said some of the teachers are now in fear and panic.

Lists have been prepared in various categories. Many teachers now do not live on campus. Especially since students formed mobs and started going door to door looking for teachers. Then the teachers started feeling insecure. They now think that today they went to such and such teacher's house, tomorrow maybe they will come to my house. To be a victim of harassment on the street, said Jobaida Nasreen.

Everyone is in a fear of what the reaction will be to any words. Students will not come again?

Zobaida Nasreen thinks that various parties are involved in the incident of insulting teachers.

This is not only because of not supporting the movement of the students. Various groups are trying to take advantage of it for various interests. Teacher politics also has a role to play here. But what this does is create a huge rift in the student-teacher relationship.

According to him, the big question is how the teachers will overcome the fear and return to the classroom. It is also not clear how the students will accept them.

But why such a situation? Zobaida Nasreen also blames the teachers for this.

Many were involved in lezuri politics. It did not play a role in preventing the oppression of students. But what the students could have done was to wait if there was such a complaint against a teacher. Once the administrative appointments were done, they could have presented their demands to the university administration, said Zobaida Nasreen.

In Bangladesh, most of the universities currently have a kind of stagnation in their administrative activities as new VCs are not appointed.

In almost all cases, victimized teachers are not sure who to turn to or how to stay safe. On the other hand, there are questions about the role of some part of the students.

However, the coordinator of anti-discrimination student movement, Abu Bakr Muzamdar, says that there is an effort on their part to normalize the situation.

But we have not made any siege on behalf of the anti-discrimination student movement. We have always said from our place that students should not be involved in any such activities.

But if there is a specific allegation against a teacher then there is a right to take legal action – we think so too. But incidents like harassment are not desirable, said coordinator Abu Bakr Muzamdar.

He claimed that the incidents which were happening in the beginning have now reduced. Even those who were doing this were contacted. He mentioned that the message of not harassing anyone has been conveyed.

But the reality is that even after this, such incidents have not stopped. There is no visible initiative from the government to provide security in educational institutions.

Even the government could not create administrative efficiency by quickly appointing VC and other posts.

Although in the meantime, the new vice-chancellor took charge of Dhaka University on Tuesday.

It is believed that the situation will improve if the administrative system is introduced in all universities in stages.

But in the meantime, the 'fear and lack of confidence' that has been created between students and teachers does not seem to be easily cut.

Source: BBC Bangla

Bangladesh /SBT