Unions stand for collective thinking and collective action. The activities of unions and associations are governed by certain rules or regulations-government or institutional. They are voluntary associations. The trade unions and other associations look after the interests and rights of the members or the alliance. They negotiate with employers. The members of the union or association are elected through elections at appointed periods. They are not free, but their activities are controlled by certain codes prescribed by the Government.
The case of college unions is totally different. The main purpose of college unions is to give parliamentary training to the students. Once the members of the college union are elected, they are supposed to work in the general interest and for the reputation of the college and not for the particular group of the students. They must hold up the traditions of the college. As experience shows, most of the political parties have their students branches in colleges and universities. Their strings are pulled from outside.
Instead of being the symbol of unity of the college students, unions have given birth to party politics, regionalism, and religious factions. If the youths are divided at school and college levels, there cannot be national unity and stability. The results are before all. Students’ rivalry; indiscipline, lawlessness and use of firearms have created great challenges for the teachers, college authorities and the Government. There is no peace in colleges and university. The Unions dictate the teachers and the Principal. Peace and discipline are indispensable for education.[the_ad id=”17141″]
Again, it is a bitter experience that union office bearers think themselves above all rules and regulations. Most of them seldom attend the classes. Being institutional union members, they must submit to college discipline. They must stop taking dictation from out side. College unions have also given birth to cliques and groups among the staff members. Teachers’ patronage has destroyed the educational tone of the colleges. Teachers exploit the students for personal interests.
The ultimate result is functions arranged by the college unions are thinly attended, disturbed and rowdy. The losers in the elections or the opponents do not cooperate. They are not college function but one faction show. There are party or leader slogans even during sacred functions like Hussain Day and Seerat Conferences. The teachers and the principal are generally silent spectators and helpless.
As a result of union activities, colleges have become centres of politics, regional rivalry, factional functions, slogan-mongering, mud-slinging, hot-beds of confrontation and arena for measuring strength by the students. Decency and Discipline have gone to the winds. Academic peace has been destroyed. They have done more harm to the student community than good. They have eroded moral values and the national unity is dynamited. These were the clear reasons why the unions were banned during Zia Regime. Peace and academic atmosphere returned to the colleges.
Politicians who generally exploit the students for their selfish ends and pamper them, may favor their revival. They wish cheap popularity among the students.
