From the infamous sedition row at Jawaharlal Nehru University to Rohith Vemula’s death at Hyderabad Central University campus, varsities across the country have been in news since 2016, exposing the underlying caste discrimination on India’s campuses. The exorbitant fee hike for scholarship students at Tata Institute of Social Services and the UGC’s grant of autonomy to institutions based on National Institutional Ranking Framework rankings and National Assessment and Accreditation Council—perceived as a push towards commercialisation by the Modi government—have also sparked protests. Such clampdowns on educational institutions have now become a ticking time bomb.
In a path-breaking attempt towards institutionalising this resistance, a three-day National Tribunal was organised in Delhi through Apri 11-13. Conducted by the People’s Commission on Shrinking Democratic Spaces (PCSDS), the event was a timely attempt at creating a safe space for students alongside renowned academicians to discuss themes of privatisation and autonomy in education, attempts made to re-write and saffronise syllabuses and the structural marginalisation and discrimination faced by students across the lines of class, caste and gender.
Testimonies of over a 100 students from over 50 universities spread across 17 states were heard by the jury, which consisted of Prof Romila Thapar, Dr Uma Chakravarty, Prof Meher Engineer and Justice Hosbet Suresh among others. Expert depositions were also made by Prof Kancha Ilaiah and Advocate Vrinda Grover.
Former JNU students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar spoke at the event critiquing systematic attempts to weaken dissenting voices across campuses.
Richa Singh, Allahabad University’s first female president, made damning statements on facing reprisals, including an inquiry on her after she protested against the invitation handed out to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath without prior consultations with the union.
Structural adjustments in higher education and its negative impacts on students and teachers were deliberated upon to map out the extent of uncertainty among teachers and students, undermining critical thinking and expression.
Powerful testimonies of students representing smaller, underrepresented institutions were the focal point of the tribunal.
“How do you expect a student from rural Maharashtra to afford education and live in Delhi without adequate grants?” asked Arti from Mahatma Gandhi International University, Wardha.
The expert panel stated that moves such as granting of autonomy to public institutions exposed a deliberate state attempt to ensure students from poor and backward communities are driven to the periphery and denied access to equal, quality and affordable education.
Megha from TISS said that, with attempts like these, first-generation learners like her are more likely to drop out of higher education due to lack of funds. Such a move may also increase the number of female students dropping out.
Post the release of Raya Sarkar’s list of sexual harassment accused, and, more recently, the Atul Johri case, the issue of sexual harassment and safety of female students on campuses was also a dominant theme. In the light of the BHU protests, students from the university pointed out the contradictions in curfew timings at the hostels.
The Tribunal was also a bugle call before the 2019 general elections to protect the centrality of higher education and to safeguard the survival of Indian democracy by reclaiming campuses as spaces for freedom of both discussion and dissent.
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