Acquiring knowledge is the first and foremost responsibility of student life. Besides, students have to fulfill many more important responsibilities. Since today's student is the leader of tomorrow, student life is the main time to form leadership. For this the students have to be associated with different organizations. There is no alternative to student politics to build strong leadership. Student politics occupies a very important place in politics in Bangladesh. Students were at the forefront of the language movement and the fall of the dictatorship in the 1990s.
★Background of Student Politics in Bangladesh:
Student politics in Bangladesh originated almost 100 years after the arrival of the British. The students expressed solidarity with various movements for liberation from the tyranny of the British. Students also played a significant role in shaping public opinion in the Swadeshi movement and non-cooperation movement. After the partition of the country in 1947, on 4 January 1947, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman formed a student organization called Chhatra League. From then on, the students became active in politics organizationally. They led the language movement organizationally. These students also led the Bengali nation in the education movement of 1962, the mass uprising of 1969 and the liberation war of 1971.
★Importance of student politics:
The role of student politics in realizing people's demands is undeniable. People of any other class or profession cannot be as organized as students can be. The dictator like Ayub Khan has fallen in the face of the strong movement of the youth-oriented students, just as the dictator Ershad has fallen. Students are the biggest conscious group in the society. When the political leadership does something wrong, the students are the first to protest. That is why well-organized and well-organized student politics can play an important role in the overall affairs of any country.
★The Role of Students in the Language Movement:
In 1948, when Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah declared that "Urdu and Urdu will be the only state language of Pakistan", the student masses protested. The students formed a continuous movement to establish the mother tongue as the state language. Following this, on February 21, 1952, the students violated Section 144 issued by the government. The police fired indiscriminately on the students and Salam, Rafiq, Shafiq, Barkat and many others were martyred. As the movement gained momentum, the oppressive ruling class of Pakistan was forced to accept mother tongue Bengali as the state language. We got our mother tongue because of the student movement.
★The role of students in the education movement of 1962:
In 1962, the Minister of Education of Pakistan formulated an education policy against the interests of East Pakistan. The students of East Pakistan formed a strong movement against it.
★Role of students in the mass uprising of 1969:
The Pakistani ruling group filed a case called "Agartala Conspiracy Case" to suppress the movement in East Pakistan centering on the 6 points of 1966. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was made the main accused. Then the students formed a movement demanding the unconditional release of Bangabandhu and other accused. This movement turned into a mass uprising. Under the pressure of this student-led mass uprising, the dictator Ayub Khan resigned. He also withdrew the case against Bangabandhu and others.
★The role of students in the freedom struggle:
The role of students in the freedom struggle of Bangladesh is world famous. There is no country in the world whose student organizations have played such an active role in achieving independence. That is why the first attack on the students of Dhaka University was carried out by the Pakistani aggressors on the night of March 25, 1971. But the students did not give up and instead defeated the Pakistani aggressors through guerrilla warfare and snatched victory.
★Students in the anti-authoritarian movement of 1990:
The movement against Hussein Mohammad Ershad began to grow after he illegally took power in the 1980s. At the end of 9 long years, the dictator Ershad fell due to the intensity of the student movement.
★Past and present of student politics:
Although the past of student politics is very glorious, it is no more at present. On the contrary, the present student organizations are involved in conflicts, quarrels, extortion, murder and other crimes. As the normal environment of study is being ruined, the anxiety of the parents is also increasing. On June 18, 2002, BUET student Sonny was killed in a student clash. In 2011 in Rajshahi, in 2012 in Jahangirnagar University, in 2014 in Bangladesh the murder of students of Agricultural University is the result of cruel student politics. But looking at the history of the past, we see many glorious achievements of student politics.
In some cases in Bangladesh, student organizations are responsible for lawlessness and instability in the country. Therefore, in terms of reality, it is necessary to pull the reins of student politics. However, with the tireless efforts of the student leaders, the old tradition of student politics can be regained. Therefore, students should abandon personal interests and do politics keeping in mind the public interest. We have to do student politics inspired by the ideology of patriotism and not play games with the hands of low-minded politicians.
