12/20/2016

Ashockingrealitywithominousimplications

A shocking reality with

ominous implications
Published: 22:10, Dec 20,2016

BRIBERY having to come as an unfortunate reality in the recruitment of

teachers in public universities, as a Transparency International, Bangladesh
research based on recruitment information in 13 universities from 2001 to 2016
shows, leaves a bad taste in mouth. This appears odious as much as shocking for
all the universities, the teachers, the students and society. Coupled with this,
political clout, favouritism and some other unethical and unlawful issues also
come up to have mired the teacher recruitment process, as New Age reported
quoting form the research on Monday. Apart from money having to pay off for
university teaching positions, inclination towards the ideology of the ruling
political party and favouritism based on who-you-know and where-you-are-from
frames have also had a role in the recruitment. This promotes absenteeism, on
the one hand, as, the research further says, most of the teachers recruited
through such unethical and unlawful practices have been found to be investing
time in teachers politics more than spending it on teaching to make students
worthy of the future and on research to create knowledge. And this harms the
academic environment of the university and deprives the students of what they
are there for, on the other hand.
Such a shocking reality has also led to a whole load of unethical practices. The
research has found that vice-chancellors, pro-vice-chancellors, department chairs
and external experts taking on board some sections of university officials,
members of the family, elected representatives, student leaders and political
activists all have a hand in such recruitment in an effort to augment the
dominance of their political ideology so that they can better hold their ground
in internal elections. In affording the teaching positions to people of their
choice, within-the-univeristy decision makers are also reported to have resorted
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12/20/2016

Ashockingrealitywithominousimplications

to unfair means in marks allocation, in some cases, long before the recruitment
process and even by making the questions available before academic
examinations and written tests for the recruitment, if such a provision exists. All
this seems to have degraded the academic integrity of education, so far regarded
as sacred in society. The University of Dhaka and the University Grants
Commission, however, sought to say that they could take the next course of
action, if needed, if Transparency International, Bangladesh could come up with
the proof of corruption and political influence. But the research findings, even if
viewed as allegations, should be enough for the universities, the University
Grants Commission and the education ministry to explain the issues and run
credible investigations.
Primary and secondary education has already come to be criticised in view of
the results of public examinations vis--vis the poor performance of the students
in their graduation into the next level. Now if such failures engulf the tertiary
education in public universities, there remains nothing for the nation to fall
back on in its efforts to move upwards. All the authorities concerned, in such a
situation, must take up the issues seriously, and earnestly, to set the wrongs
right. There must be a well-framed policy on the recruitment and promotion of
teachers in universities. Others in or outside the process must also lay their
political hands off the process to arrest the decline.

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