Students across the country under the banner of 'United Students of India' held a parliament march at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on January 12th, 2024. The protest reverberated with the chants rejecting the exclusionary NEP and demanding an end to the anti-student Modi-Shah regime.
Addressing the march, AISA General Secretary Prasenjeet recounted the grand failure of the 10 years of the Modi government and in its response presented 10 questions of the student-youth. He added that under the disastrous Modi government, there is a complete privatization of education under the New Education Policy (NEP) and on the other hand, there is an increasing attack on education, employment, social and gender justice.
The government has quashed the vision of affordable education by introducing NEP 2020 and setting up institutions like HEFA (Higher Education Financing Agency). Under the garb of “autonomy”, the public funded education model (UGC grants) is transitioning to a loan-based model under HEFA. This new model, characterised by a surge in self-financed courses across universities, places an increasing burden on students. Within this HEFA loan-based framework, universities have already incurred substantial loans, to be repaid in the future through increased fees, and we see that in Universities like Osmania (1,000%), Allahabad University (400%), DU PhD (1,800%), there have been massive fee hikes.
“How are students from poor and marginalised backgrounds supposed to enter education when there will be such massive fee hikes?” added Com. Prasenjeet.
In every election rally and roadshow, the PM Modi makes endless rhetoric and promises to provide jobs and employment. But after 10 years the facts show how the youth of today are suffering more than ever.
Putting forward the clarion call of ousting BJP and saving India from the anti-student and anti-youth Modi regime, the Parliament March resolved to make 2024 as the year where the student and youth will set the agenda of a democratic egalitarian country!
