Education must not be discriminatory

Bureaucrats have once again displayed the complex mentality of considering themselves and their descendants as superior to common people, from whose money they receive their pay and perks and whom they are duty-bound to serve. Only those public servants who are actually masters of the public deep in their minds can nurture such an approach.

The Financial Express reports that the other day the foreign ministry officials sought an additional annual allowance of Tk 2.4 million so that their children could pursue studies at institutions inside the country. This amount is equivalent to US$20,000 that MoFA officials working in Bangladesh's foreign missions are entitled to for two children studying abroad. But the freshly demanded amount is three to four times higher than in Bangladesh's most expensive educational institutions and 200 per cent higher than what other government officers and employees are given for their children's education. While such an absurd proposal raised eyebrows of public expenditure experts and anti-corruption watchdog, the MoFA officials feel no qualm about it even though they know full well that the country is now passing through severe economic hardship.

Bangladesh adheres to the principle of equal access to education for all; everyone here has the right to education without discrimination. The people of Bangladesh also have a long history of struggle for establishing equal right to education. It was from this spirit that they conducted powerful movement in the 1960s against Pakistan's discriminatory Sharif Commission education policy that closed the door to education for the poor and low-income people. Allocation of such a staggering amount of money for each child of the MoFA officials will clearly go against the principle of equal rights to education for all. Bangladesh cannot entertain such a discriminatory policy.

Is the MoFA officials' proposal an isolated case? Not at all. Another proposal of similar nature was placed before the government during the conference of the Deputy Commissioners and Divisional Commissioners in March this year. According to an FE report, in presence of the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the civil servants proposed the establishment of a university exclusively for their children. It means that no students other than children of the high ranking bureaucrats will have access to this institution. This will divide the student community into aristocrats and commoners. To make their proposal appear reasonable, the bureaucrats argued that such a university would also facilitate higher degrees and training for the serving bureaucrats though there are such institutions like the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre and Civil Officers Training Academy for the purpose. The proposal for such a university is part of a ploy to ensure that state administration does never slip out of the hands of the present bureaucrats and their descendants.

The reaction of the then public administration minister to the proposal was interesting. He is reported to have said that his government had no intention to establish any such university at that moment - repeat, at that moment, as they had some other priorities. It means that the minister was not opposed to the idea in principle.

It hardly needs elaboration that both the proposals are highly discriminatory in nature and in sharp contrast to the spirit of equality of all citizens as enshrined in the Constitution.

It is evident from the above demands of the DCs and MoFA officials that bureaucrats are incorrigible and their attitude is out of step with the aspirations of the new generations seeking to establish a discrimination-free society. At least they should realise that the elitist and lordly mentality ---a legacy of the public service during the British and Pakistan periods ---has no place in the country on a fresh journey. This sort of attitude is in sharp conflict with the needs of an independent country. Bureaucrats must come out of the discriminatory mindset.

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