TIB report and state of denial
NO individual is perfect nor is any organization. By that measure, Transparency International Bangladesh may have its shortcomings. And yet its strengths have consistently outweighed its weaknesses. At this point of time, when politics stagnates and administration remains notorious for sloth, TIB gives us reason to hope that positive change will someday characterize life in this country. By coming forth with a report on the state of the nation's private universities, TIB has once more pointed out to us the extent of wrongdoing which has, layer by layer, eaten away at the vitals of the state.
Yes, of course the TIB report on private universities could have been more specific. It could have, since it has evidence in hand to support its findings, gone for a naming and shaming of the universities engaged in malfeasance. It could have, where bribery is the issue, cited instances of where such corruption has taken place and who were the individuals involved. But none of that detracts from the thought that TIB, being the public interest organization it has always been, was serious when it made its report on private universities public. For those who have felt aggrieved at the report, in this instance the ministry of education, the University Grants Commission and the private universities, it ought to have been their responsibility to go for soul-searching rather than being brashly dismissive of the report.
There is the responsibility that Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid should have carried out but chose not to. As the nation's education czar, he could have demonstrated his objectivity by opting for an inquiry into the points raised in the TIB report. He chose to be reactive. TIB, he declaimed, must prove the veracity of its findings; but if it does not or cannot, it must apologise to the nation. That is no sign of governance. And administration cannot be conducted on the basis of peremptory orders. Arrogance in the corridors of power only leaves the state drained of vitality. The minister has seen in the report a conspiracy to undermine the nation's private universities. And now the education ministry, the UGC and the private universities have in a spirit of solidarity informed the country that the TIB report is baseless, that it is aimed at harming the higher education sector in Bangladesh. Do note that the three organisations did not feel it necessary to call TIB to their meeting. The object of their ire was not deemed worthy of making its case before them.
The attitude is one of denial. None of the three bodies affected by the TIB findings has deigned to observe the positive sounds made by TIB about the private education sector. They have chosen to focus on the negative aspects of the administration of private universities. That is fine, except that they have not been able to step back a little and mull over the entirety of the report. If in the TIB report there are allegations of money changing hands at the private universities and in education-related government offices, if there is suspicion about the falling standards of teaching, if there are questions about grading, it makes sense for everyone involved to take a deep breath, step away, pause and then look into the findings. Being dismissive of a report, especially when it comes from TIB, is in essence a looking away from reality. Governments based on the popular will do not pretend everything is well in the territories they hold sway over. They plumb the depths of criticism in all humility.
So there you are. But that is not all. The vice chancellor of a private university is rattled that the media have published TIB's 'sweeping' report. The media, by his reckoning, have been causing more harm to private universities than TIB. The conclusion that you might draw is simple: both TIB and the media are the enemy. And the enemy, because it points to wrongs committed in society, because it smells things of a foul nature in the public domain, must be swatted down. Things do not have to be this way. There are other ways of looking at, and handling, circumstances. And they do not have to be of the kind that stifles dissent.
In the current debate over the contents of the TIB report, the education minister should not have jumped to conclusions. It is always bad practice shooting the messenger. The message needs to be read. If it remains unread or is swiftly cast into the fire, agony is prolonged.
The country needs a good academic debate on the TIB report. The private universities as also the UGC need to go into a state of introspection over the report. The scope of the debate may be widened, to raise questions about the systematic leakage of question papers across a large swath of examinations.
The perspectives ought to be clear. The question today is not why TIB has thrown up the report on private universities. It is one of why the education ministry, the UGC and the private universities are loth to acknowledge the realities in the region of higher education.
The writer is Executive Editor, The Daily Star.
E-mail: [email protected]
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