Academics and Politics

Yesterday, the Principal of St. Xavier's College Frazer Mascarenhas dispatched an email to his students the text of which can be found here on the college website. When news of this email broke, it not surprisingly kicked up a huge storm, with the reactions on both sides of the political spectrum was being rather predictable. 

But now 24 hours after the hysteria has died down, let’s look at what went wrong and what Frazer should have actually done

The primary function of any institution such as St. Xavier's College is to educate and impart knowledge. It also should promote free-thinking and allow all points of view to be discussed and then to leave the students to form an opinion.  In essence, it should function like any healthy democracy, where there is total freedom of expression albeit it is within the realms of the rules or laws. In fact, opposing points of view must be celebrated, since that is the only way one gets to learn to empathize is to listen to why somebody thinks contrary to what you think. 

It is this understanding that is an important aspect of education and what facilitates growth.  The teachers must therefore create an atmosphere where every single student feels comfortable expressing an opinion, however unpopular it may be. The teachers should also instill tolerance of these opinions.  But what the teachers do not have the right to do is to even tell the students how to think, or what political ideology to adopt or what political party to support. 

That is strictly the business of the individual. Thus institutions should educate and not indoctrinate its students.

Despite his denials that he hasn’t quoted any political party or hasn’t named any individual, the contents of his letter are clearly political. We all know who is responsible for the Gujarat model and we all know who gets the blame of the Gujarat model is denounced. Similarly we all know who is responsible for the Rojgar Yojana, the Food Security Act and the RTI and we also know who benefits when these measures are praised.  We all know that there are many other troubled states in India but curiously dedicated his entire paragraph in denouncing Gujarat only. 

There are several problems that this current government faces but Frazer doesn’t mention anything in his email. He thus clearly had an agenda while sending this email. It is also in direct violation of the election commission’s code of conduct that prevents any individual from using an educational institute to propagate political views.

There is no debate his right his opinion, India is a free country and there is nothing preventing him from expressing his thoughts. Had he put all of his opinions on his personal blog it wouldn’t have been a problem at all.  

But when he chooses to host his email on the college’s official website he is sort of telling us that the college supports a particular party and subscribes to a particular ideology.  In a functioning democracy, it is important for everybody to cast their vote and young people may need all the guidance they can get to arrive at this decision.

So how should Frazer have advised his students? He should have asked them to look at their candidate, he should ask them to read manifestos from each party, he should have asked them to decide what they felt was right according to their vision for the future of this country and then cast their vote. He should have told that what to look for when voting and not asking them whom to vote for as he indirectly did.

Now many have said that the students have supported Frazer, but can you expect a student in his right mind to oppose the head of the institute without the fear of repercussion.

So what should Xavier’s do, firstly take down the letter, secondly send Principal Frazer packing for his irresponsible conduct and set up a system to make sure that such behavior never ever occurs again.