The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) on Tuesday began a protest campaign on social media against provisions in the New Education Policy (NEP) of the government that they stated was “advocates financial autonomy and the commercialisation of education”.
The JNUSU alleged that the policy omits all reference to the rights of students to unions and participate in decision-making. Giving an example of how one of the main stakeholders in planning the revised academic calendar were ignored, the JNUSU said: “In a written representation to the MHRD, the JNUSU had highlighted the importance of student representation in the re-framing of the academic calendar, however, the MHRD and the UGC ignored these suggestions to unilaterally declare recommendations for educational institutions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The students claimed that the NEP seeks to obliterate principles of accessibility to higher education and the participation of students in the decision-making process. “With regards to student participation, the NEP is wholly silent, and instead offers clubs for students to participate in activities related to sports and to visual and performing arts,” the JNUSU claimed.