Ensure democracy in universities, urge former student leaders

Former presidents of JNUSU, including CPI(M) leaders Sitaram yechury and Prakash kKarat, came out in support of the students protests at their alma mater . They alleged that the JNU administration hiked room rents, fees and security deposits without consulting with the elected representatives of the students.

They claimed the “unprecedented hike” has to be seen as part of the “regressive assaults on higher education” systematically put in place ever since the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah regime had come to power.

They announced that they will join the protest by students organised on November 27.

Changing perception

“The privatisation and commercialisation of education has led to the spread of a public perception that ‘subsidies’ are out of place and a so-called ‘reasonable return on investment’ must be ensured. Whereas earlier governments were forced to debate these issues publicly and face failed attempts to pass reform bills in Parliament with the decline of even these democratic practices under the present regime, the practice of resorting to executive orders to implement policies without public debate has become the new ‘normal’,” Yechury, who was JNUSU president in 1977, said.

“The claims that taxpayers’ money is being wasted on the students is nonsense. This country is not run on income tax paid by three per cent of the population alone and today, all of us, including school and university students, are tax payers,” Karat said. “In fact, collections from indirect tax are almost as much as those from direct taxes. Further, many of the beneficiaries of higher education go on to contribute directly and indirectly to tax revenues for a long time after,” he said.

Trend seen

A statement issued by them said the measures are an indication that administrations in institutes of higher learning are becoming increasingly dictatorial. “It started with the FTII in 2015, and spread rapidly across universities (Hyderabad Central University, JNU, Jadavpur, Delhi University, Punjab University, Allahabad, BHU, Jamia Milia Islamia, Aligarh, TISS –Mumbai and IITs .),” the statement said.

“Rising costs of higher education, shrinking budgets and employment opportunities, and an economy now recognised to be in a structural recession, have all contributed to putting higher education out of reach for more than ninety percent of India’s younger generation. Replacing grants and scholarships with institutional and individual loans is a crisis-ridden strategy,” they added.

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