Bengal hit by education anarchy

Frequent campus violence, mass copying, irregularities in admission procedures, frequent student protests over trivial matters are plaguing West Bengal's once-reputed educational institutions that have at one time produced some of India's best known faces, both leaders and scholars.

One of the state's prestigious institutions, Jadavpur University, remained the epicentre of a massive student agitation that led to the unprecedented step of its Vice-Chancellor being asked to step down by none other than Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee when she made an unannounced visit to the university.

The students' movement, that had widespread resonance with many of the Jadavpur University alumni across the globe expressing solidarity, had its roots in a demand by students for an independent probe into the alleged molestation of a female pupil. A subsequent "violent" police crackdown on the agitating students gradually snowballed, resulting in vice chancellor Abhijit Chakraborti stepping down in the face of what he called an "undemocratic" and "unconstitutional" stir initiated by "politically-affiliated" students.

Ironically, Chakrabrti's predecessor Souvik Bhattacharya had put in his papers citing personal reasons barely a month after he was confined for more than 50 hours by students demanding the reinstatement of two students suspended on charges of ragging.

However, academic circles in the university claim the eminent educationist resigned because of the non-cooperation of a section of teachers close to the ruling Trinamool Congress that is being blamed - like its previous Marxist predecessors - for politicising the educational system in the state.

As educationists and former vice chancellors blamed political interference, especially by the ruling Trinamool, for the "anarchy", they also claimed the students were acquiring a tendency to agitate for "anything and everything".

"Notwithstanding the political interference, I believe a section of teachers and students must bear the responsibility for the crisis that has engulfed the education system, former VC Pradip Narayan Ghosh said.
"Students in Bengal have always been politically active, but the restiveness now seems to be going beyond limits. The fact that two VCs had to depart in the face of student agitations does reflect this," Ghosh added.

"The problem is not only with Jadavpur, the phenomenon is fairly widespread. Reports of students sitting on fasts or confining teachers and authorities have become too frequent," he noted.

Even as the Jadavpur imbroglio continued, another iconic institution, Presidency University, witnessed similar scenes with students resorting to a fast-unto-death demanding revocation of the clause that barred students with less than 60 percent attendance from contesting or voting in the student's body polls.

The stir was withdrawn after the university authorities made a concession for this year, allowing students with less than 60 percent attendance to cast their votes.

"It is alarming, the way we are conceding the illegitimate demands of the students. Is there any guarantee the students will not sit on fast again next year? We are only emboldening the students who are now becoming habitual agitators," another former VC, who did not wish to be named, pointed out.

"The Jadavpur students are celebrating Chakrabrti’s removal but are they concerned about their original demand of an independent probe into the molestation? They may soon find out yet another issue to launch an agitation," said the professor, who also taught at the university.

It is not the JU or the Presidency alone, a section of students; faculty and officials of the Rabindranath Tagore-founded Visva-Bharati University too have launched an agitation demanding the removal of Sushanta Dutta Gupta as the Vice-Chancellor.

By: Anurag Dey