Universities must have their code of conduct for student politics: Education Adviser

Every university must have its own code of conduct under which student politics will run, Planning and Education Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud said today (3 February).

"Any university must have its own code of conduct, every student its political identity. An educational institution prepares its code of conduct comprising the country, society and other related matters," he said after a press briefing on the recently submitted report of a taskforce to develop strategies to boost the economy and mobilise resources for equitable and sustainable development at the NEC conference room in the planning ministry.

Former director general of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Dr KAS Murshid led the 12-member task force which was formed in September last.

The adviser mentioned that Cambridge, Oxford and like other universities across the globe have their own code of conduct. "That type of code might not happen in our country," he said.

The taskforce, in its report, said all public and private universities should completely ban on-campus student politics.

Responding to a question, the taskforce chief KAS Murshid said they thought that in the last 50 years the traditional student politics will come to an end.

"The taskforce does not think that we do not benefit much from this student politics," he said, adding, whereas the interim government is the outcome of the student politics and the government formed this taskforce.

Through student politics, any on-campus matter transformed to crude economic corruption, Murshid said, adding, "In most of the cases we see that. So why does this kind of space prevail? Does any civilised country have this, apart from our South Asian countries?"

But, he said it does not mean that student politics is bad. "Student politics aligned with national parties is what we are against, that is what has to be considered seriously," he said.

The former BIDS chief said students will give their opinions, they will engage in activism for social issues, political issues and other issues and will be vocal.

"They will play an active positive role, for that we have to create some spaces. We should create a platform for that…We have to rethink if that space means Shahbagh and Mohakhali," he said.