- And an un-consulted stakeholder
Military dictators have all along put curbs on academic freedom and imposed strict regimentation on the universities and colleges. The once-thriving culture of free debate and discussion was considered dangerous and was suppressed. Ziaul Haq went to the extreme of letting loose armed gangs on the campuses to terrorize the student community. Successive powerless governments did little to revive the culture of tolerance. There is now no space left for critical thinking, fresh ideas and inventiveness in institutions of higher learning. Students are required to study in a highly regimented and suffocating environment. There are also increasing complaints about the agencies monitoring student activity. Despite a phenomenal increase in their number the multifarious educational institutions can no more bring forth Nobel Laureates like Abdus Salam and Hargobind Khorana, once produced by Punjab University alone. In elite English medium schools questioning is discouraged and students are persuaded to memorize without analyzing and comprehending what is taught and to regurgitate it in the exams to get the maximum number of As. Student unions, which once acted as a conduit between the university and the student community, stand banned. One of the universities has gone a step further by requiring an affidavit from every student at the time of admission that they will not take part in politics or hold protests on the campus
The Students Solidarity March held all over the country demanded restoration of student unions. These unions provide the student community an opportunity to understand the democratic process by casting votes. Once these unions organised House-of-Commons-style debates and declamation contests to educate students to argue a case in a logical way. They also organized a variety of cultural functions. The Unions also presented student demands before the administration.
The student community is a stakeholder in the educational system like the teachers and the administration. The Students Solidarity March was totally peaceful. This shows that the student community is responsible. There is therefore a need not only to hear the ignored stakeholder but also provide it representation in the administration. This can be done only through elected student unions.