Are we normalising the humiliation of teachers?

Why should teachers be respected? A significant majority reading this will find such a question inane if not objectionable. Inane because it is a universal value that teachers must be respected; it is the basic premise of learning. It is objectionable because someone has the audacity to ask something so contrary to any civilised society's value system.

But because of some events of the last few years, this question is no longer so ludicrous and, for some people, not objectionable at all.

This is why a female teacher in Jashore was viciously assaulted by a Jubo League leader on August 23. The teacher was punched repeatedly in the classroom, in front of her students, and then dragged outside by her hair to the playground. It was only when other teachers pulled him away that the victim was saved, though the injuries were so severe that she had to be hospitalised. The reason for this violence was that the teacher asked her student why he had gone out during an ongoing exam and why he had used the teacher's washroom without her permission. According to the case statement, the student started using abusive language when she questioned him. It was when the third-grader complained to his father that such unbelievable violence was unleashed. In a positive move, the police arrested the Jubo League leader and sent him to jail, where he awaits trial.

Yet, the fact remains that this teacher was humiliated first by her student and then by his father, who resorted to ruthlessly assaulting her. Even after her wounds heal, this teacher will be haunted forever by the memory of this attack. Students must have been traumatised by this incident as well. But they have also been exposed to the ugly idea that it is okay to insult your teacher; that if you are connected to power, you can do anything you want.

We all remember the horrific incident in which a powerful lawmaker humiliated the headmaster of a school in Narayanganj in 2016. The MP made the headmaster hold his ears and do squats – a repulsive, mediaeval form of corporal punishment for school kids – in public. He was also asked to seek pardon for "demeaning religion," an allegation that was later found to be baseless. A video of the incident went viral and people from all over the country posted pictures of themselves holding their ears with the caption "Sorry, Sir" in protest. The outrage showed that there were still many Bangladeshis who held on to the traditional value of holding a teacher in the highest regard, a culture in which such a reprehensible act of humiliating a teacher would be considered an unforgivable crime.

In a laudable show of respect for the headmaster and his position, the then education minister reinstated the teacher and scrapped the school's governing body, which had failed to protect the highest ranking person of the institution. But does anyone believe that the headmaster will ever forget the trauma of the incident that blew up into smithereens his dignity and self-respect? And what about the MP who had inflicted this shameful abuse? Was any action taken against him? Being from a "politically powerful family", it was not surprising that he faced no repercussions whatsoever.

In June 2022, a college teacher in Narail was forced to wear a garland of shoes around his neck by a mob, as punishment for trying to protect a student who had been accused of "hurting religious sentiments." The student had gone to school and faced a mob of students and locals who wanted to beat him up for his post. He went to his teacher's room to take shelter. So his apparent crime was to protect his student from getting lynched. In the old days, we thought that was exactly what the duty of a teacher was – to protect their students from harm. But in this case, that was exactly why the teacher was punished. A case was filed by police against 170 to 180 people though only three were arrested and sent to jail. The National Human Rights Commission asked authorities concerned to take legal steps against the policemen, who did nothing to stop the mob from the abhorrent act of humiliating the teacher.

While both incidents had communal motivations behind them – as both victims were of Hindu faith – what was also evident was the complete lack of respect for teachers displayed by the local politician, administrative bodies, students and the police. Students can be chastised for being bullies but what can you do when people in high seats of power display such disdain and aggression towards teachers? What message does it give to the students and other members of society? It normalises the idea of humiliating a teacher, disregarding the position of a teacher and even assaulting a teacher.

So what kind of values do parents who use their position in society to abuse anyone they feel like teach their children? As in the Jashore incident, a third-grader thought his status as a political leader's son allowed him to verbally abuse his teacher and make sure his father taught her a lesson.

Unfortunately, there is a whole new emerging category of parents who feel that their wealth and power allow them to be unanswerable to anyone for their criminal behaviour, and consequently, their children are entitled to the same impunity. Think about the MP who humiliated the headmaster, the mob that forced a teacher to wear a garland of shoes. Think about those teachers, school administrative bodies and police who stood by and allowed such abhorrent things to happen. When important members of society either take part in or show silent acquiescence to teachers being openly humiliated, how can we teach our children that the fundamental principle of learning is to respect and value the persons imparting knowledge? What is the point of classroom lessons if the society at large does not value the absolute necessity of young people to become decent, honest human beings?

Aasha Mehreen Amin is joint editor at The Daily Star.