Politics and Students
We live in a democratic country. For the success of a democracy, the role of political party is very important. Should students be active in politics is a question has been discussed many times. All of the people agree that students should keep themselves away from politics. Professional politicians say that today’s students is tomorrow’s citizen and that he should be well aware of how the government, behaves and how it can be made to behave in a better way. Students should know about their environment too, not only what is taught in the class room or gain in their books.
A half century ago, a politician preached what he believed to be true. He set an example of his teaching himself. Favours could not buy him. Fear had no effect on him. His sole aim was the good of the community, the society and the country. He did not want power.
Now politics has become a trade, a money spinning trade. The politician is not averse to bribes. Power attracts him. He will scarify anything to achieve it. Schools and colleges provide him with innocents whom he moulds in to the shape he wants.
The school parliament election provides the politicians with a chance to recruit followers. Schools became politically active, when the leader visit the school and him direct and control the election work. The politician instigates his followers to violence and even murders are committed in the school. The politicians in the opposition lead the students in to strikes for anything and everything.
This state of affairs led people to protest and a plea was made to all the political parties to dissolve the student factions of their parties. Not a single political party was willing to oblige. This shows how much political parties value their student cadre.
It is time students realized the trap they are falling into. One or two might have risen to high positions in the party but the thousands of students became curse to the society.
Students can be kept out of active politics only if they themselves realize that their first duty is to learn and be of use to the society. When they have learned enough about our country and what can be done to solve them, should they enter active politics. Political parties must stop keeping their students wing. This is not going to happen because political parties whether in the opposition or in power know that without the youngsters they are almost nothing.
So learning about the political situation in one’s own country and that in other countries is desirable, but joining the ranks of any political party ignoring or neglecting his duties is certainly bad for a student.