Beating up teachers by goons again

TEACHERS are otherwise makers and craftsmen of sensible educated human beings of the society. But shockingly they are possibly going through the toughest of times in the country. Three teachers of Khandor Chawra Multipurpose High School were mercilessly beaten up in front of the school in Lalmonirhat district over a row for formation of school’s managing committee. Not long ago another schoolteacher in Narayanganj was beaten and forced by local MP for squatting on a similar row over formation of the school committee. At least half a dozen incidents of torture and beating of schoolteachers by unruly goons were reported over the past one year and most such attacks took place on way to schools as the local law enforcing agencies apparently don’t take it seriously.

The incidence of our teachers being beaten is yet another sign of extreme disorder and disrespect for teachers being shown by many in the country. Analysing most of the cases, at least one point is clear – they are either harassed over formation of school managing committees or over recruitment of teachers of different political hue. Why should such mismanagement and anarchy targeting our schools? And most importantly, why is the government silent in the face of blatant violation of government rules and threatening peaceful environment for running of schools.

There is no secret that local influential persons and their cadres enjoying shelter of the ruling party see controlling school’s managing committee as an easy way of running admission business, influencing recruitment of teachers and benefiting from other procurements and construction works. But shockingly, despite recurring media reports — the government’s law enforcement agencies are mysteriously failing to effectively address the problem. Consequently orderly functioning of schools is facing serious setback at many places while it is highly distasteful and humiliating for students to see criminals beat their teachers. But such humiliating things are frequently occurring. Only recently using students as human bridge by a land donor to a school at Jamalpur and a similar incident at Chandpur by local upazila chairman, who is also a local ruling party leader clearly smacks abuse of political authority and newfound wealth.

In our view it is a shame for the nation that we are failing to give protection to school teachers as goons are trying to take over control of school managing committees. They must be haunted out and punished. The ruling party must realise that the entirety of this disarray and indecency are in many ways the naked manifestation of its chaotic way of ruling the country. Goons very often sexually harass female students on way to schools and beating of teachers are ominous sign of bigger disorder to destroy education system. It can’t be tolerated any more.