The central executive committee of SFI strongly condemns the latest move of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to scrap Non-NET fellowships for the researchers. SFI urge its units across the nation to be vigilant and be ready to resist any such anti-student moves. Such a move is coming at a juncture when the researchers from all the streams are demanding for an enhancement in Non-NET so that they could pursue their academic endeavour and do quality research. Higher education is already inaccessible to a large section of the society due to paucity of public investment in education and increasing commercialization. Scraping non-NET fellowships will be heavy blow to the researchers in India who are already struggling to survive with the meagre allowances handed out to them. 

 

This latest move should be read in connection with the hardcore neo-liberal policies followed by the present NDA government. The trend has been set by the Budget itself .  The budgeted expenditure by the central government on education has seen a colossal decline this year. The Department of Higher Education has seen its allocation cut from Rs. 16,900 crore to Rs. 15,855.26 crore. The fund cuts in real terms (after taking into account inflation) are much larger. The funds allocated to the UGC had stagnated at last year’s levels, which amounts to a cut in real terms. The allocation for the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research has been cut by 25%.The total expenditure on education - Rs.68,968 crores - is a paltry 3.88% of the central budget, a far cry from the longstanding demand of the student community that 10% of the budget be spent on education.

It was pointed out by SFI that the result of such fund cuts will be a worsening of the quality of public education in India, which would then be used as an excuse for further commercialisation and privatisation of education, thus rendering education inaccessible to the vast majority of students in the country. Confirming our apprehensions, the UGC chairman Ved Prakash said a decision was taken in the last meeting of the commission. He said such decision was taken after receiving many complaints saying that merit was not being taken into account in awarding these fellowships.

This meritocratic argument is designed to keep a large sections of students away from entering the field of research and thus paving a smooth way for rigorous privatization. The students get enrolled as researchers only after proving their merit at different levels through the passing of entrance examinations and obtaining qualifying marks. It should also be noted that such superfluous arguments are being made at a time when those who have no qualification except being the ideological henchmen of Sangh Parivar are placed at the top of different educational and cultural institutions. If the government and UGC are really concerned about improving the quality of research in India, it should be done, not by taking away whatever meagre facilities the students of this nation have but by providing them more facilities and scholarships and improving the educational infrastructure with better facilities. It should also be done by strengthening the public education and providing education to all.

 

The central executive committee of SFI demands the non-NET fellowships be increased immediately and it should be extended to all universities and research centres in India. SFI strongly demands the immediate withdrawal from the move to scrap non-NET fellowships. We appeal to the student community across the nation to be united to defeat anti-student plan of NDA government and UGC. SFI calls upon all its units to rise up against this new assault being launched by the Modi government on students using the UGC.

 

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Dr. V Sivadasan                                                                 Ritabrata Banerjee MP

President                                                                           General Secretary 

 

The central executive committee of SFI expresses its deep shock and condemnation of the dastardly killing of Prof. MM Kalburgi, a left intellectual and a former Vice Chancellor of the Hampi University by the Sangh Parivar fascists at his residence in Dharwad, Karnataka on Sunday, 30th August.  The most renowned Kannada scholar, writer and a strong voice of secularism Prof. Kalburgi in no doubt was a threat to the communal agendas of saffron brigade. The attackers knocked on the door and when opened, they shot Kalburgi on the forehead and chest at point blank range. The hindutva-right wing forces had earlier attacked his house with stones and soda bottles in 2013. He was warned by the same communal forces after he raised his voice against idol worship and blind beliefs and superstitions prevalent in Hindu society. Prof. Kalburgi was a champion of scientific temper and rational thought. 

The scientific temper and rational thought is under a severe attack at a time when the central government itself stands against it. Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and now Kalburgi, all men of intense intellect have became martyrs in the ongoing battle in which the voices unreason and obscurantism want to silence all the voices of reason. Each martyrdom will only inspire to intensify the fight for secularism. We demand the Karnataka government to take immediate actions to arrest the culprits behind this heinous crime. We request each and every democratic and progressive sections in this country to rally together to defeat religious nationalism. SFI calls upon all its units across the nation to rise up against the murder of Prof. MM Kalburgi and organize protest meetings and programs to carry forward the fight of Prof. Kalburgi for secularism and rationality.

 

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Dr. V Sivadasan, President                                                             Ritabrata Banerjee MP, General Secretary

Central Executive Committee of SFI calls upon all its units to make the sept. 2nd nationwide education bandh declared along with four other left student organizations a grand success. The neoliberal policies have worsened the life of the people of all sectors over the years. The experiences of the students are also not different under the era of neoliberal attacks launched by the governments one after another. The policy thrust of centralization, commercialization and privatization has been taken forward by all the governments to serve its ruling class interest since the early 1990s ever since the neoliberal assault on education was launched. The attacks at all levels and in different spheres of education have intensified further in the one year of Modi regime.

 

The Modi government’s sinister agenda of saffronisation makes this a toxic combination and therfore more lethal. While fighting the globalization policies which made education a commodity the students has to resist the aggressive communalization of education too. The public funding on education from primary level to higher education has been cut down year after year. The Modi government has slashed budgetary allocations for education by 16.5 per cent. Successive governments have underfunded education, and public funding has stagnated at just 3 per cent of GDP. 

Despite of zero initiative to strengthen the public education the government is showing more enthusiasm to rob whatever fewer facilities and supporting system left before the students. The fund for ICDS, Sarva Shiksha Abhian, Mid day meal scheme, Different scholarships ect had been decreased hugely.

 

A huge majority of our schools are lagging even the basic facilities. The high number of children who are not being able to enroll in schools and the increasing number of drop outs in primary and secondary level itself should not be seen separately. School texts have been targeted to implement the communal propaganda and all the educational and cultural institutions are being filled with the servile ideological henchman of Sangh Parivar. Even the platforms of higher academic discussions, like Indian history congress and science congress are being used to replace history with mythology and scraping rationality, authenticity and scientific temper.

 

The attack on campus democracy is another threat which has to be fought and defeated. There is no mechanism yet to protect the democratic rights of the students, be it holding students union elections or building an atmosphere of democratic discussions and debates. Higher education is not accessible to a large chunk of students as it is largely privatised and discriminative. Instead of showing any sign to address this issues NDA government is introducing or pushing forward the most regressive and destructive reforms like CBCS, RUSA and Central University bill. The public education, secular nature and the federal structure are under severe threat. It is in this context that when workers of this country is Striking SFI along with AISF, AIDSO, AISB and PDSU jointly gives a call for national education bandh.

 

The workers of this country are also striking on September 2 against the neo-liberal offensive of the ruling classes. Sfi consider the issues of toiling masses of this country closely linked to the life of future generation, students in particular. So, it is crucial that people from all spheres, students-teachers-workers-youth-peasants etc to come together to fight the larger threat, which is the policies which concentrates wealth and facilities to a minority and put the life of the rest in doldrums.

 

We request all progressive, democratic and secular forces to come together to defeat the neo-liberal and communal onslaught on education. SFI Central Executive Committee appeal to all students irrespective of affiliations to make the call for countrywide education bandh against the anti-student, anti-people policies of Govt a massive success. 

 

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Dr. V Sivadasan, President                                                          Ritabrata Banerjee MP, General Secretary

The Central Executive Committee of SFI Congratulates Com. Nandita Narein, a Democratic Teachers Front(DTF) candidate who has been re-elected to the post of President of Delhi University teacher's union (DUTA). We express our greetings to all other members won to the executive council from the panel of DTF putting a progressive and democratic agenda forward. Above all we salute the teaching community of Delhi University for giving a thumping victory consecutively for the third time to those who showed the commitment to fight the neo-liberal agendas and all regressive reforms.

 

DTF has been active in all the movements against the anti-student moves of both the central government and DU administration. Taking the lead in DUTA the DTF has made teachers association of the University a strong weapon to fight FYUP, CBCS, RUSA etc.

 

The choice based credit system, CBCS has been overwhelmingly rejected by the student community in a referendum conducted by SFI last week.  Over 93% students marked a resounding 'No'  to CBCS. With the mandate in DUTA election it's been once again clear that the teachers community is also rejecting the attempt to implement such neo-liberal plans. The role of DTF led DUTA was decisive along with the students in the roll back of infamous FYUP and exposing the most corrupt DU VC ever.

 

The teacher's verdict of this year's DUTA election should be seen as a strong message against the destructive CBCS. Students and teachers unity is crucial at a juncture when the Modi led NDA government is selling out our campuses. While welcoming the DUTA election result we expect a more intensified and United struggles in coming days to save our campuses from the challenges of commercialisation, centralisation and communalistion.

 

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