The writer believes that student politics should benefit students the most, with student unions accountable to students and universities. However, in Bangladesh, student leaders are accountable to national political figures who fund them, not students. As a result, student unions fail to help students and instead promote external political agendas. Unlike other countries where student politics is separate from national politics and helps students learn leadership, in Bangladesh student politics is synonymous with national politics.

1. Thoughts on Student Politics
The people of Bangladesh are widely misled by the term "student politics". I was involved in
politics during my student life in a foreign university. Now, I personally believe the term
student politics is misunderstood here.
We have to understand that when we use a term such as student politics, the body to benefit
maximum from its decision and policies should be students. Unfortunately, it isn't really that
way in Bangladesh. In fact, students are the worst sufferers in this war of power. There is only
one reason for this: the financial benefit these so called student leaders are receiving for
actually promoting the mission and vision of external national political leaders.
The reason why I came down to finances is because, at my University, I prepared the yearly
student union budget of over 500,000 dollars. Now, every student of the University paid this
money that I was asked to allocate for the year and thereby I was answerable to the University
Senate body. If I didn't utilise the funds to the best interest of the student body, my committee
could be dissolved with a no-confidence vote and I would have been brought to legal justice
headed by the University Senate and Board of Governors.
Now let's compare this with Bangladesh. The so-called student leaders here hardly receive any
fund from the university to run their party expenses. In fact, 99 percent of their expenditures
are paid for by national political figures and thus they are answerable to those national
warlords and not the students. Therefore, I can conclude that the student wings of politics are
mere helpless idols of national politics with a student banner.
Leaving aside the fund issue, while I was abroad and into University politics, I was
accountable to student transparency bodies. I had to report budgets of expenditure and it had
to be signed by the Senate and Board of Governors. I had to lay out plans and implementation
sheets of my party.
All these activities sound alien to the student community in Bangladesh. The truth is it really
isn't. Your leaders are doing it here too -- the difference is, the auditors are not the students but
the political leaders who are the patrons of these leaders.
I would like to end by saying that student politics at my university was a worthwhile
experience to learn what the constitution is all about and what activities and leadership
qualities would be required to lead a nation. Out there it was like a proto-type of real national
politics but any involvement with national politicians would have us sacked in no time.
On the contrary, in our country student politics 'is' the national politics, it isn't a replica as it is
in other countries of the world. This is a tragic story to those students who sincerely want a
body that could lead and frame policies for their betterment. Instead, they are joining rallies
and singing songs for some leaders who hardly have the interest of students in mind but
instead chant slogans of questionable national concerns, which hardly have anything to do
with the student community.
Questions to answer:
1. What should be the definition of student politics according to the writer?
2. Why do the student unions in our country fail to help the student community and the
country?
3. Compare student politics in our country with other countries. Draw the similarities and
differences.