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FCC: Half a century of excellence
Thank you for the article ‘‘Faujdarhat Cadet College: Half a Century of Excellence" by Fakhruddin Ahmed (The Daily Star Internet Edition, April 28, 2008). It's an interesting reminiscence and deserves appreciation. Many of those who attended cadet colleges would agree that most of the points in the article reflect their own views. But those who didn't may argue that the success of various professionals and the country as a whole should not be judged by the excellence of a few cadet colleges attended mostly by die affluent and bright students (the name 'Cadet College' may be a misnomer, since a college is known to offer degrees; even in neighbouring India similar institutions are known as Sainik Schools). It is the uplifting of the educational levels of general mass students - a challenging task indeed - that largely determines the image of Bangladesh.
Mr. Ahmed described the historical background of the FCC with an emphasis on the role of General Ayub Khan, with repeated tributes to its founding Principal Lt. Col. (Retd.) William M. Brown, the glorious days on the college campus, the success of ex-cadets in various fields, the prestigious Rhodes scholarships won by two excadets, the recent visit to the FCC and some future perspectives. Those are some thoughtful moments that highlight the early days and development of the FCC. Nevertheless, one may question some historical accuracy and disagree with some of the points, particularly the glorification of Ayub Khan, who was known to despise the Bengalis and was the first Pakistani military dictator whose legacy is still vivid in that country. Apparently, Ayub Khan was the GOC of East Pakistan during 1948-1949 and was the Chief of the Army Staff duringl951-1958 when FCC was inaugurated.
Mr. Ahmed mentioned the so-called 'existential threats after the independence' (of Bangladesh) will) some anecdotal evidences. The threats, apparently never real or serious, may have been due to the chaotic nature of postindependent Bangladesh and short-sighted views of some elements in the then political circle. But the country has just suffered the worst atrocities committed by the Pakistani military and anything related to the military and the colonial legacy was a 'taboo'. Being 'feeder schools for the Pakistani military', the four Cadet Colleges were no exception and were mistakenly identified with the military brutalities
and genocides.
It may be disheartening to learn that although the name Col. Brown has been mentioned at least 30 times (as the founding Principal he may deserve it, but may be a bit stretched) and that of Ayub Khan 3 times in the article, not a single word has been spent on the role of the ex-cadets in our liberation war. To our knowledge, some 45 alumni of the FCC took part in the liberation war and 8 of them made the supreme sacrifice for their Motherland. Those brave souls, at least, were not blinded by the weird legacy and questionable glory of the self-appointed Field Marshal - the so-called architect of cadet colleges - but responded bravely to the call of their Motherland. Recently, the government of Bangladesh paid a special tribute to the eight old Faujians by giving crests to the members of their families. Anyone with genuine roots to Bangladesh would be proud of learning the list of the FCC martyr $ i n 1971:
Maj. Md Abdul Khaleque, 1st batch Capt. A K M Nurul Absar, 2nd batch •Md. Mosharraf Hossain, 3rd batch ■Badiul Alam, Bir Bikram, 7th batch
•Lt. Md. Anv ar Hossain, Bir Uttam, 7th batch
•Capt. Md. Shamsul Huda, 7th batch •Mufti Muhammed Kased, 8th batch
•2nd Lt. Rafique Ahmed Sarker, 10th batch
AshrafZKhan, PhD.
Morrisville, PA 19067, USA