by Maisha Mahjabeen
In Bangladesh, when a girl gets expelled from her school or college, it is not the same as when a boy does, because often the reasons and consequences are never the same for women and men.
From my experience of studying in a girls-only institution, I know that more expulsions are given to girls for so-called “character” reasons than for academic failure. Who makes TikTok videos, who uses Facebook, who dyes her hair under a hijab, who dates, these become grounds for moral policing. In this system, girls are quickly labeled as “bad girls.” I have also seen teachers, those who call themselves “parent-like,” eagerly looking for excuses to expel these “bad girls.”
Even if the disciplinary policies are the same for both girls and boys, the execution or severity of punishment has been highly gendered. For instance, smoking on campus premises or wearing a uniform must bring strong consequences, but female students smoking and getting expelled have made national newspaper headlines, whereas it is still quite relaxed for boys. I have seen TikToks of boys smoking in their school washrooms, smoking in uniforms in public places, and even uploading pictures on their social media platforms. It does not take a genius to see why disciplinary actions remain more relaxed for boys than for their female counterparts. I can bring up hundreds of examples of why getting expelled from school or college is largely a gendered phenomenon.
I feel extremely lost thinking about the girls who have been wrongfully expelled. Only if the teachers understood that, most of these girls never return to school. They cannot even complete their SSC or HSC exams. While their classmates move on to university, these girls are pushed into early marriage and motherhood by their families. Apparently, these “bad expelled girls” do not deserve the right to education, and it is considered better to get these troubled girls married as soon as possible because they are viewed as burdens in their families’ eyes. Why do girls have to pay such a heavy price for their teenage mistakes? Does anyone feel compassion for them? If your own daughter did something wrong, would you destroy her life like this?
Recently, an 11th-grade student at Viqarunnisa Noon College, Snehamoni, was expelled, allegedly for her infamous interview with a journalist on school premises. She shared details of her personal life, including dating someone and how her family supports that. Apparently, the interview went viral and received backlash. My heart goes out to Snehamoni if the primary reason for her expulsion is “ruining the institution’s reputation” through that interview. I have serious reservations about whether this justifies expulsion instead of implementing other corrective measures. Why cannot educational institutions be more mindful about exposing these view-seeking, negative publicity-driven journalists to their minor students? I only hope her parents do not end her education or her dreams, because for most girls who get expelled, the ultimate punishment comes not from the school but from their own families. Across generations, girls have been given major punishments for minor mistakes, and still, no one seems to care.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own. Bangladesh Feminist Archives publishes a range of feminist voices that challenge state power, patriarchy, and systems of silence. We believe in creating space for dissent, dialogue, and the multiplicity of feminist thought in Bangladesh.
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