M M Jasim :
Sujan, a teacher of Morning Glory School at Pallabi of Mirpur Section- 12 in the city was detained over an allegation of sexual harassment of a Class-IX girl student on Wednesday night.
Following the incident, the victim’s father has filed a case with Pallabi Police Station in this connection.
According to case statement, Sujon called the student at the school to talk to her over coaching issue at 8:00pm and raped her.
Meanwhile, police have confirmed the incident and filing of the case under Women and Child Repression Act with the police station.
Earlier on July 9 this year, Associate Professor of Mass Communication and Journalism Department, Jagannath University, Mir Mosharraf Hossain alias Rajib Mir, was terminated over charges of sexually harassing a female student of his department.
A meeting of the 74th syndicate of the university had terminated him, the university’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mijanur Rahman said.
A madrasa teacher was also detained over the sexual harassment of an eight-year-old girl inside classroom in Lakshmipur Sadar upazila on April 24 last.
Two female students of Dhaka University on August 10 submitted separate written complaints over sexual harassment against an assistant proctor.
In her complaint, one of the students alleged that the assistant proctor suddenly gripped her throat as she along with her fellows tried to enter the Senate Building during a demonstration last month. Another student, in her complaint, alleged that the assistant proctor tugged her dupatta (scarf) when she tried to rescue her fellow.
The DU authorities are reportedly investigating the incident.
These are the four examples of sexual harassment out of hundreds occurred by the teachers in the university, college, school and madrasa this year.
Country’s noted educationists have termed the incidents of sexual harassment by teachers as moral decadence.
They think that absence of exemplary punishment and lack of publicity of any punishment to the culprits are responsible for recurrence of such incidents in the country.
Professor Syed Anwar Hossain of History Department at Dhaka University told The New Nation on Thursday that the teachers who are mentally sick involve themselves in sexual harassment.
“Sexual harassment has become viral in the society. It is increasing day by day alarmingly. A teacher who is mentally fit cannot harass or rape any female student,” Professor Anwar said.
He said there is no example of exemplary punishment for harassing or raping a female student.
Professor Anwar urged the government to form a ‘special tribunal’ for speedy trial of the incident of sexual harassment.
Syed Manzoorul Islam, Professor of English Department at the University of Dhaka told this correspondent on Thursday evening that the teachers who were involved in sexual harassment had already lost their morality. He also branded the teachers as wrongheaded.
“It is very important for a teacher to be the man of morality because the teachers are the creator of the future generation. How they will build a moral society if they have no morality? He asked.
He thinks that there are three causes behind the sexual harassment by the teachers.
Firstly, the teaching profession is now an attractive one in the society as the salary of the teachers is much better than the previous years. As a result, some sub-standard people engage themselves in the profession. And most of them harass and rape the female students.
Secondly, most of the time, the culprits manage themselves from any resistance with the blessings of powerful people who are doing politics of the party in power.
And lastly, no exemplary punishment is behind the cause of increasing of the sexual harassment by the teachers.
Professor Syed Manzoorul urged the law enforcing agencies to treat the culprits as ‘worst criminal’ in the society.
“Please be aware about the teachers who have lost their morality. Arrest them without any hesitation. Think that the victim can be your daughter, sister or relatives. Feel the pain according. If you do it properly we hope that such incident will stop in the country,” he said.
The educationist also suggested the guardians to form guardian association at all educational institutions and work more and effectively to prevent sexual harassment and even rape by the teachers.
“Publish the pictures of the culprit teachers at every place of the society. Ask the people to hate them and ignore him from the social activities,” he called upon the guardians.
