Good Students, Bad Students

Context: In the light of the Universities discussing the over-regulation of students' behaviour in the wake of recent conflicts, the binary discussion which equates a 'good' student with an 'apolitical' one is misconceived.

Arguments for Students serving as university administrators:

• Students are the major stakeholder in a University:

• Students at the university level are already adults and citizens with voting rights 
• They invest some of their most formative years in the University.
• They have high stakes in the performance of the University.

• Students transcend self-absorption driven by personal aspirations: 

• The University students transcend the inherent challenge of inequality in society and restricted participation in the guise of meritocracy required in Higher education.
• They become concerned about the larger social and political issues like poverty, social exclusion, and injustice, and begin to try and give voice to the voiceless. 

• Youth has a greater propensity to think creatively about long-term concerns: they question the very assumptions of the prevalent order since they do not have a vested interest in the perpetuation of the status quo.

• Demonising students for expressing their beliefs, dissent in universities is itself a politics in favour of the status quo

• Emergence of a wiser, younger, and saner leadership in all sectors: 

• Youth are keen to give expression to concerns about possible futures scenarios like irreversible geo-climatic changes, technological disruptions, nuclear war, etc.

Way Forward: Reforms in the University administration

• Re-Imagining the role of administrator: 

• Primary relation of any administrator in University is that of a student-teacher, which should be treated as the one cardinal rule.

• Student engagement is challenging, but it helps in bringing out to the surface the deeper human relations shared between teacher-student.

• Address the delicate concerns and problems: by going beyond conventional disciplinary roles, and establishing institutional structures for continuous communication with students.

• Exploring new ways of participation: 

• Partner with students in planning, designing, and administering universities, particularly academic structures, programmes, and processes.
• For E.g. In Ambedkar University Delhi, students have taken active participation by forming a constituent assembly to form a constitution, conducting elections, conducting counselling sessions and handling public dealing during admissions.

• Accommodate the diffusion of probable distinction between teachers and student 

• Given the possible flux in employment necessitating working people to return to University for periodic upskilling and reskilling, the distinction between teachers and students is diffused.

• Developing students as leaders: 

• University should act as a training ground for tackling various political issues such as citizenship via teamwork and leadership, accommodating multiple views.
• Imbibe leadership to help in managing multiple views and perspectives, holding consultations, negotiating differences, resolving conflicts, and exploring consensus.

• Dissociate the idea of 'Apolitical' with 'good': Apolitical students, who are self-absorbed in their personal ambitions, are considered as 'good'. 

• However, being 'good' this way has an underlying politics of perpetuating the prevalent power structures and relations. 

Conclusion: It is time to discard the outdated concepts regarding engagement with students, else our education system will get frozen in time and regress to mediocrity.