The student organisations of about 10 Opposition parties have decided to strengthen protests against the New Education Policy (NEP).
At a joint meeting held here on Friday, the leaders of the outfits also formed a sub-committee to develop a charter of demands for the united student movement.
Participants included Congress’s National Students Union (NSU), the Left’s Students Federation of India (SFI), the All India Students Federation (AISF), the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti of the Aam Aadmi Party, the Chhatra Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Samajwadi Chatra Sangharsh and the DMK’s students’ wing.
On Saturday, the leaders also met the wrestlers, who are protesting against the Centre, to express solidarity. A joint statement of the student leaders said the primary agenda of the meeting was to discuss the importance of a united student movement against the centralisation, saffronisation, and commercialisation of education by the BJP government.
“The leaders of the organisations unanimously decided to stage a joint protest against the undemocratic implementation of the anti-student NEP which infringes the rights of states in education policy,” the statement added.
“The focus of the meeting was also on preparing an alternative progressive, scientific, secular, and democratic educational agenda for the nation. The leaders resolved to form joint platforms of democratic, progressive, and secular student movements in the respective states to resist the undemocratic implementation of the NEP,” the statement said.
SFI general secretary Mayukh Biswas told The Hindu that it was high time that the student movements of the country must unite as the BJP was implementing its policies in the education sector with the full command of the RSS and corporate houses.
“The results of implementing these policies are saffronisation, commercialisation and centralisation of education. Their prime weapon is NEP. Within three years of NEP, we have seen the closure of schools, fee hike, reduction in scholarships and increase in suicides by students. There are so many problems for the students. So, all student organisations who believe in secularism, democracy, progress and scientific temper decided to come together against the NEP,” Mr. Biswas said.
“So, all student organisations who believe in secularism, democracy, progress and scientific temper decided to come together against the NEP”Mayukh BiswasStudents Federation of India general secretary
