Reminiscing '62 education movement

The other day (September 17) was the 'Education Day'. 46 years ago, that day students of the then East Pakistan waged a huge movement against the 'Sharif Education Policy' announced by then Pakistan government. I too participated in that movement as the General Secretary of Dhaka College Students' Union, convening and presiding over the first formal meeting of students for scrapping the Education Policy and removal of discrimination in education.
In 1947-48 the number of primary schools in East Pakistan was 29633, which came down to 26000 within a span of 5 years. The Pakistan army chief Ayub Khan hatched a conspiracy with the Governor General Eskander Mirza to topple the coalition civilian government headed by Prime Minister Firoz Khan Noon. Marital law for the first time and first of its kind in the sub-continen was promulgated on October 07 of 1958. But within less than three weeks Eskandar Mirza was removed and Ayub Khan himself became self-appointed President of Pakistan and Chief Martial Law Administrator. After two months, on 30th December the government announced formation of a committee headed by Education Secretary of West Pakistan and Ayub's former teacher at Aligarh University, S. M. Sharif. In the 11 member commission, four educationsts were from East Pakistan. Dr. Momtaj Uddin Ahmed, Vice Chancellor, Rajshahi University, Dhaka Secondary Education Board president Abdul Haque and two teachers, one from Dhaka University and another from Dhaka Engineering College, Professor Atowar Rahman and Dr. Abdur Rashid, respectively. The commission submitted its interim report on 26th August, 1959.
Features of Sharif Commission Report included: (1) 'Urdu should be made the language of the people of Pakistan'. (2) English should be made compulsory from class VI. (3) To introduce a Lingua Franca for Pakistan, common script should be introduced and for that, Arabic should be given priority. (4) Education should not be available in minimum cost and at cheap rate. (5) There is reason to see at par investment in industry and education. (6) The concept of free primary compulsory education is Utopia. (7) We emphatically recommend that the 2-year degree course should be upgraded to 3-year for improvement of quality at the higher education level.
Some of the features provoked serious agitation.
They clearly pointed out that the door of education was closed to the poor and low-income people. The very connotation of "investment in education" triggered sharp reaction. Committees and sub-committees were formed in many institutions spontaneously to protest against the commercialization of education. The agitation programme was started by Dhaka College students. Sporadic strikes by students continued. Students of national medical institutions also resorted to the movement, which included hunger strike.
However, the students' movement took a new turn on 10th of August when Dhaka College students meeting announced general strike of students throughout the province on 15th August. All responded favourably to the programme. Series of meetings were held in between 15 August and 10 September at the historic Amtala in the Dhaka University campus. On 10th September a representative character meeting was held at the Dhaka University Cafeteria where almost all the colleges of the city were represented. The meeting announced a fresh action programme of hartal or total strike on 17th September. Street corner meetings, processions, talks with different organizations and associations of government employees, rickshaw employees union, labour unions and different trade bodies held to make the programme of 17th September a success.
Students started picketing from early morning on the day. Agitating students set some vehicles ablaze as contingents of police chased demonstrators from Sadarghat to Nawabpur railway crossing. By 9am Dhaka University campus was packedup with students coming from different institutions of Dhaka city. It was virtually unmanageable situation. A news this time was spread like wild fire that the police fired at Nawabpur and a number of demonstrators had been killed. Hearing the news, a huge procession was brought out with Sirajul Alam Khan, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Rashed Khan Menon, Haider Akbar Khan Rono, Ayub Reza Chowdhury and Reza Ali in the forefront. Immediately after Kazi Zafar Ahmed could make a short speech the procession entered Abdul Gani Road crossing High Court when police fired on the back of the procession. Babul a student of Nobo Kumar High School was killed instantaneously and bus conductor Golam Mostafa, domestic worker Waziullah and many others were seriously injured. Waziullah later died in the hospital. The firing at Abdul Gani Road infuriated the processionists which not only included students but also workers and employees of different mills and factories, rickshaw pullers and boatmen form Buriganga river.
Two chief characteristics of the 62 education movement which deserve special mention are: first, the movement was initiated by the students alone without any outside influence and secondly, the central student leaders could not foresee that such a huge movement was possible based on education and academic problems faced by the students alone. However, Opposition leader Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy came to Dhaka from Karachi during the last leg of the movement. He met East Pakistan Governor Golam Faruk and could persuade him to defer implementation of the Sharif Commission Report. This resulted in the eventual end of the movement which was an eye opener to the vested interests in the ruling coterie of Pakistan.
After 1952, the students again presented a camouflaged conspiracy against the mother tongue from being successful. So every year the day is observed and incidents recalled on 17th of September.

Prof. Quazi Faruque Ahmed is president of Bangladesh College Teachers' Association (BCTA), e-mail:[email protected].