Students Protest Against Change of Criteria for IIT Entrance
The move by the Directors of the IITs, endorsed by the Union HRD Ministry, to upgrade the eligibility criteria for appearing in the IIT entrance exams met with widespread protests all over the country. Students held massive protests at the gates of the IITs in Delhi , Kanpur and other centers, and everywhere there faced police lathicharges.
AISA too organized protests at various centers in UP and Bihar – some of the states where students are worst affected by the change. Burning HRD Minister Arjun Singh’s effigy at Banaras, Lucknow, Patna, Bhagalpur and other places, AISA activists pointed out that the criteria of 60% in school finals and restriction to just two attempts militates against students from deprived backgrounds. It is well known that school boards are extremely uneven in their marking systems across the country – this is why IITs have a stringent and uniform Joint Entrance Exam to screen entrants. Further criteria like ‘60%’ will only serve to keep out those from less elite schools and irregular schools boards.
The trend of upgrading criteria has already been seen in mass employment avenues like Banking and PO , and now it is being extended to the nation’s job-oriented educational avenues too. Clearly, the new rules are part of the Government’s policy to restrict higher education to a select few and to privatize it.
CHENNAI
AISA Initiatives In Chennai
“Where is India Marching?” Against the backdrop of Independence Day, students from more than ten colleges pondered over this question in their essays, poetry, debates and paintings. Under the AISA initiative, a campaign and competition was conducted on "Where is India Marching?" Nearly 150 students actively participated in the competitions held on Aug 28, 29 in AICUF Hall, Chennai.
"Is it fair that government will not shoulder the responsibility of education and employment," "Is the status of women in India progressing?" "Will the students become part and parcel of a decadent society? Or will they strive for change?" "Where is India Marching?" – were the topics on which the competitions were held.
N C Krishnapriya, UNESCO Award winner on "Right to Education" in photography, Dr. Amalorpavanathan, General Hospital, Chennai, Manoj Babu, Secretary, Waves Youth Welfare Association and Com A S Kumar, State Committee Member, CPI(ML) were the panel of judges in the debate competitions.
Prizes will be distributed in a special programme on Sept 12 at Venkateshwara Mahal, Chennai.
– Ranjani
Students’ Protest at Jamia
Students of Jamia Millia Islamia launched a massive struggle in August and September against fee hikes, conversion of the students’ SRK Hostel into an Administrative Building , and denial of students’ democratic rights. AISA activists played a leading role in this movement in Jamia Millia Islamia. The movement was sparked off by the attempt to convert SRK Hostel, and when students protested, a large number of students were suspended. The suspension, far from intimidating students, galvanized them even more, and a disciplined movement took place. The students vigilantly resisted several attempts to disrupt the movement and instigate violence by mischievous elements tacitly backed by the University authorities. The students’ alertness and unity broke the usual pattern in the University where lumpen elements would cause violence, which would then serve as a pretext for a crackdown by Administration and Police. The first round of the movement ended after a massive Protest March with more than 300 students, following which the University Administration signed an agreement with student leaders agreeing to retain at least a section of seats in SRK Hostel, to form a committee with student representation to look into the fee structure, to refrain from draconian crackdowns on student activists and to hold Students Union Elections. Soon after, when the Administration tried to go back on its agreement, there was a mass hunger strike by students for several days. Again, there were several attempts to spark off violence, which were rebuffed by the students, and finally the students achieved a significant victory with the VC agreeing to retain 75 seats in SRK Hostel and to stick to the rest of the agreement.
PONDICHERRY
Struggle against A Fraudulent Institute
A teachers training institute in Pondicherry admitted 140 students more than its quota of seats allocated by the university, taking Rs.1 lakh from each student. The Pondicherry University refused to allow these students appear for exams. AISA and the CPI(ML) protested against this and forced the police to arrest the correspondent of the institution. AISA leader Ravi Kumar and CPI(ML) Pondicherry Secretary Balasubramaniam met the Vice-Chancellor of the Pondicherry University after a demonstration and the VC assured to conduct the exam for them and award certificates provided the teacher training course authority of the Center recommend it. Due to pressure from AISA the authorities are moving to close down the institute.
UTTAR PRADESH
At the Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University at Faizabad (Ayodhya), SU elections were held on 16 September. AISA candidate Saiyyad Jafar Musa won the post of Vice President, defeating the nearest contender from ABVP by 554 votes. ABVP candidates were routed on all posts in this college with 20, 000 students – significant in this town which has been the epicentre of the Sangh’s communal campaign.
Statewide Protests in UP against Govt.'s Criminal Negligence towards Encephalitis Epidemic
CPI(ML) protested UP government's inaction and criminal negligence with regard to the fast spreading brain fever or encephalitis in many eastern districts of the state. This disease has attained epidemic proportions killing more than 600 people, mostly children, but the Mulayam Singh Govt. has turned a deaf ear to the cries of the suffering innocents in spite of the fast-spreading disease reaching newer areas. Party has demanded that a 'state of epidemic' be declared in most of the affected areas of Gorakhpur district, medical assistance be taken up on a war footing, and compensation be given to the families of the deceased people.
The CPI(ML) held a massive protest march in Gorakhpur (among the first by any party) against the Government’s callousness. UP Chief Minister's effigies were burnt in Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Deoria and other districts of eastern UP in protest. Protests were also held at district headquarters in several other districts. In Lucknow , a dharna was organised where speakers demanded an apology from Mulayam Singh Yadav for this gross negligence and criticized the state govt. for hiding the facts as the official figure of deaths is a gross understatement. The situation is much grave than what is being projected and the required medicines and vaccines have not been made available. Instead, the state govt. is busy blaming the Centre for non-availability of the vaccine. The logic of 'lack of funds' is also false as the state govt. has spent crores of rupees for Bill Clinton's Lucknow visit at the same time when hundreds have died of this killer disease.
UP Panchayat Elections and CPI(ML)
Recently panchayat polls were held in UP. Officially these elections are supposed to be non-party affairs but forces with political affiliations do participate in the elections. Forces associated with CPI(ML) too participated in the elections. According to initial reports from 9 districts, 56 gram pradhans either affiliated to or supported by CPIML) scored victories. Among them, there are four women, and 20 party members. Others are either affiliated to mass organizations or were supported by the Party.
An important feature of the election was a popular boycott of elections in certain tribal pockets of Sonebhadra district. Heeding the long-standing demand of certain tribal people led by CPI(ML) the Government converted certain tribal communities from SC to ST category, but did not convert the reserved seats of the respective villages from SC to ST category. As a result many posts in those villages remained vacant because there was no eligible candidate entitled to contest. So the tribals of Duddhi, Myorpur and Babhani boycotted the elections, protesting the blatant assault on their democratic rights. To give an organized political voice to the tribal people’s sentiments, CPI(ML) organized parallel polling booths where an overwhelming number of the electorate turned out to vote in contrast to the few going to official booths.
The number of elected candidates who are party members and those who were supported by the Party are respectively – 4 and 2 in Mirzapur, 3 and 3 in Chandauli, 2 and 5 in Gazipur, 6 and 2 in Pilibhit, 4 and 16 in Sitapur, 1 and 3 in Lakhimpur Kheri, 0 and 3 in Devaria, and 0 and 2 in Maharajganj.