The FEDCUTA expresses dismay at the brutal manner in which the police have been used to crack down on students protesting against the unjustified scrapping of the UGC non-Net fellowships. The UGC’s decision has obviously been taken without a care for the thousands of students dependent on these fellowships to carry out their research. That police action rather than dialogue has been resorted to is a sign of the wider attack on democratic rights which we are witnessing today.
It must be noted that the UGC decided to scrap the non-Net fellowships on the recommendation of an expert committee set up to consider the enhancement of the fellowship amounts. The need of the hour was in fact to enhance these fellowships – which are abysmally low – and to offer them to students in state universities as well. Instead, these fellowships are to be denied to all.
While there is much talk by the Government of the need for world class universities in India, it is shocking that the very basis for improving the quality of education and research is being systematically withdrawn. The world class universities always cited and appearing in international rankings all provide adequate support to all scholars pursuing research. The UGC’s decision to withdraw even the minimal support follows the drastic cut in budgetary allocation to higher education and exposes the hollowness of the various “reforms” imposed across the country which have wrought havoc on universities and colleges. These measures are evidently connected to the push by the Government to open Higher Education to for-profit trade at the Ministerial Meet of the WTO-GATS scheduled on 15-18 December.
The FEDCUTA demands the withdrawal of the decision to scrap the fellowships. It further demands that the amount of these fellowships be enhanced and that this facility be extended to students of state universities as well. The FEDCUTA expresses solidarity with students in their struggle against this completely unjustified decision.
NANDITA NARAIN SACHIDANAND SINHA
(President, FEDCUTA) (Secretary, FEDCUTA)
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