Under the collective banner of the INDIA Alliance Student Organisation, AISA and other prominent student groups including NSUI, SFI, AISF, MSF, Samajwadi Chhatrasabha, and CRJD convened a joint press conference at the Press Club of India in New Delhi on 8th March 2025. The conference served as a powerful denunciation of the Modi government’s relentless assault on the education system and the future of India's youth.
The student leaders condemned the regime’s policies, accusing it of systematically dismantling public education and creating an atmosphere of despair for students. They highlighted that unemployment has reached its highest level in 45 years, while the student suicide rate has alarmingly surpassed that of farmers. The government’s actions, they asserted, are driving students into precarity and hopelessness.
Key Concerns Raised:
UGC Draft Regulations: The alliance rejected the new UGC draft, arguing that it undermines university autonomy by facilitating arbitrary political appointments of Vice-Chancellors, thereby deepening corruption in higher education.
National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: The NEP was criticised for promoting privatisation and centralisation, which, student leaders argued, erode accessibility and equity, disproportionately affecting students from marginalised communities.
Ban on Student Union Elections: The alliance denounced the suppression of student union elections, calling it a blatant attack on democratic rights and demanding their immediate restoration.
Social Justice Violations: Concerns were raised over the non-filling of reserved seats, the termination of critical scholarships, and the declining representation of students from oppressed communities in universities.
Exam Paper Leaks and Corruption: The frequent leaks of crucial examinations like UGC NET, CUET, and NEET were cited as evidence of endemic corruption within the National Testing Agency (NTA), jeopardising the futures of millions of students.
Resolutions and Future Mobilisation
In response to these crises, the alliance resolved to launch a nationwide protest from 17th to 22nd March 2025. This mobilisation will culminate in a mass rally at Jantar Mantar on 24th March at 11 AM, bringing together educationists, former UGC chairpersons, leaders from INDIA Alliance parties, teachers’ unions, and thousands of students.
A joint declaration was signed, reaffirming the student organisations’ commitment to defending public education, safeguarding student rights, and demanding urgent structural reforms.
The student leaders vowed that this movement would continue until the government is forced to reckon with the voices of students and dismantle its anti-student policies. The resistance, they declared, is only beginning — and it will not be silenced.
