Hundreds of students from various universities across India marched from the UGC Headquarters to Jantar Mantar to participate in a national convention on non-NET fellowship and against WTO-General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) agreement in higher education as Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, Narmada Bachao Andolan founder Medha Patkar, Duta chief Nandita Narain and others criticised the governments over “increasing privatisation and sell-out of education.”
The gathering at Jantar Mantar also kicked off a week-long protest under the banner of All-India Students’ Association which had called on all students to come to Delhi in “a show of strength.”
Addressing the national convention, Ms Patkar praised the 47-day Occupy UGC movement and said that it has challenged the government. She said the signing of WTO-GATS agreement, which is to be held in Nairobi on December 15, will enslave students to corporates.
“The forthcoming WTO conference is dangerous because Indian representatives are ready to sell everything out. They are allowing multinationals to poach every sector in India. I am confused whether I call (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji a non-resident Indian or resident non-Indian,” she jibed amid thunderous applause, adding that state-controlled cognitive faculties is the worst form of Fascism. Hitting out at the previous and current governments over shortage of funds in education, Mr Yadav called on students to remain on the road to achieve “equality in education” since the corridors of power have stopped listening to them.
“The Occupy UGC struggle is not only about fellowship, but also for equality in education,” Mr Yadav, a former UGC member, said, adding the three types of backdoor (chor darwaza) entries (formation of private universities, self-financing courses by state universities to meet expenditure and coaching classes) have plagued the educational system.
Ms Narain, who enthral-led the gathering by sing-ing Faiz’s poem Hum Dekhenge, contended the WTO-GATS agreement will create a level-playing field in higher education, which will result into more fund cuts.
