Staff Reporter :
Thousands of teachers, students, employees and guardians of public and private educational institutions on Saturday vowed not to show any sympathy to the militants and work together for eliminating militancy from the country.
Terming the militancy a curse for the nation, they called upon all the professionals to prevent the militancy and create a social movement against it.
They took the vows at separate rallies formed in all the public and private universities, colleges, schools and madrasas across the country on Saturday in response to the call of the Education Ministry.
Earlier on August 1, the Educational institutions formed human chains responding to the call of University Grants Commission (UGC) throughout the country.
Dhaka University (DU) was the center point of the anti-militancy rallies of the Education Ministry. The University arranged a discussion at the Teacher-Student Center (TSC).
DU Vice-Chancellor Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique presided over the discussion while Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid was present at there as chief guest.
Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) Professor Abdul Mannan, Secretary to the Education Ministry Sohrab Hossain, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration) of DU Professor Akhtaruzzaman, President of Dhaka University Teachers’ Association Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed and General Secretary Professor Maksud Kamal spoke at the meeting, among others.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said, “We have strong culture, heritage and history. We believe in non-communal society. So, there is no scope to spread militancy in the country.”
“Some of the students have derailed their lives. They have been misguided. It happened due to our disunity. It is high time to be united to prevent militancy and terrorism,” he said.
He hoped that the new generation would be the assets of the country.
UGC Chairman Professor Abdul Mannan said, there is no educational institution in the country where the militancy is absent. The members of militant groups have been working in all the educational institutions, he said.
He asked the authorities of the public universities to keep eyes on the teachers and the students to make their institutions militancy-free.
Eden Mohila College organised a rally with a view to creating awareness among the students.
Eden Mohila College Principal Professor Gayatri Chatterjee presided over the rally while National University Vice-Chancellor Professor Harun-or-Rashid was present there as chief guest.
Harun-or-Rashid said, about 15 lakh students are studying under the National University. The university authorities have been working relentlessly to build their students as world standard.
Rajshahi University, Chittagong University, Jahangirnagar University, Islamic University, Khulna University, Comilla University, Barisal University, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Eden College, Dhaka College, BM College and all the public and private universities, colleges, schools, madrasas also arranged anti-militancy rallies.
Teachers, students and guardians were holding different festoons and placards with slogans “We don’t support militancy”, “Islam doesn’t support it”, “Militancy is the curse of the world”, “No militancy in Bangladesh”, “We want non-communal society”, “Fight militancy, save Bangladesh.”
Civil Society members, community leaders, religious leaders and media people also took part in the rallies.
They too chanted slogans against the militancy and its masterminds.
