Students protest against autonomy to universities

Thousands of students marched from Mandi House to Parliament Street on Wednesday in defence of public-funded higher education.

The call for a ‘People’s March’ had been given by the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) and the Federation of Central Universities’ Teachers’ Association (FEDCUTA) to raise voice against the “destruction of higher education”.

The march received support from students and teachers of Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Aligarh Muslim University, Ambedkar University Delhi and Jamia Millia Islamia.

Breaking across party lines, several political leaders attacked the Centre for granting graded autonomy to 60 universities saying that it would lead to commercialisation and privatisation of higher education.

‘Will lead to privatisation’

DUTA president Rajib Ray, who was at the march, said: “The government has lately been pussy-footing around the question of public funding in higher education. However, as the University Grants Commission [UGC] regulation on autonomy and the finance minister's budget announcements on HEFA have shown, the government is keen to withdraw public funding and impose self-financing models on public-sector universities and colleges and force them to take loans for infrastructure by mortgaging public resources such as buildings and land as collaterals.”

He added that this puts a question mark on the affordability of higher education and manifests itself in the government's unwillingness to appoint adequate teachers on permanent basis, allow fair promotional avenues, and give pensions to retired teachers.

Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia addressed the gathering at the start of the protest and said: “I have come here to support this march as your struggle is my struggle as well because I will have to send my child to college. If they make higher education expensive, only a few will be able to afford it.”

He added that that the government first destroyed school education by promoting private schools and is now doing the same to higher education so that a few business houses benefit.

Banding together

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said education policies of the Narendra Modi-led government intend to end reservations in higher education and with autonomy, the inclusive nature of public-funded universities.

“The government is trying to destroy the premier universities in India. This will put an end to social justice as well. The push is to grant autonomy so that universities can start money-making courses and reserve seats for foreign students,” said Ms. Karat.

Congress MP Sushmita Dev and AAP MP Sanjay Singh were also at the protest and promised to raise the issue in Parliament.

‘Education for the rich’

JNUSU president Geeta Kumari said that with autonomy, only the rich will be able to send their children to universities and added that by appointing “abiding” Vice-Chancellors to several universities, the Centre has managed to put an end to the reservation system, further taking higher education out of reach of the marginalised.

DUTA demanded the immediate withdrawal of the autonomy regulation, plus immediate suspension of loan-funding initiatives through HEFA.

‘Nation-wide movement’

“If the government is unable to read the writing on the wall, then DUTA and FEDCUTA will spearhead a nation-wide movement of teachers and students, in coordination with AIFUCTO. It will educate the public against the destructive policies of the government in higher education,” said DUTA in a statement.