Thousands participate in the Satyagrah against the assault on Higher Education
Thousands of teachers thronged at Jantar Mantar today in response to the Satyagraha Call of the DUTA to carry forward the agitation against the UGC Gazette Notification of May 2016. AIFUCTO and FEDCUTA office bearers as well as teachers representatives from JNUTA and IGNOUTA also expressed their anger at the anti-education policies of the government.
Wearing white clothes, the satyagrahis expressed their anguish and anger at the loss of jobs and denial of promotions and firmly expressed their resolve to not give up till their demands were met. Speaker after speaker reiterated the demand for withdrawal of the Gazette Notification. Scores of young teachers spoke from the dais and spoke about how the Notification has changed their lives, denying them their livelihood after they have put in more than 10 to 15 years of service and when they are past the eligibility for other jobs. Many young teachers also read out poems composed for the occasion, giving creative vent to their frustration and anger. Some teachers also sang songs of protest and the theatre group Jana Natya Manch performed a brief excerpt from their play “Authority” written as a conversation between the UGC and teachers.
Leaders of several political parties also came to express their solidarity with the teachers. They spoke about the anti-student, anti-teacher policies of the Government that instead of providing jobs as promised is taking away the livelihood of more than 4000 teachers in Delhi University alone. Shri Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Shri Bashisth Narayan, both from the RJD, Shri Deepender Hooda, Prof. Girija Vyas and Ms. Kiran Walia, all from the Congress Party, assured their full support to the teachers’ struggle. All the speakers highlighted the assault on higher education by way of budget cuts that would ultimately destroy public funded education in the country and deny quality education to the lakhs of students.
Students’ union (JNUSU) as well as students’ organisations like AISA, CYSS, DISHA, KYS, NSUI, SFI and SYS also turned up in a show of solidarity with the teachers’ movement. Other students’ organisations like Aahwaan, AIDSO, AISF, Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch, DSU, NEFIS and PACHHAAS sent messages of solidarity. The ABVP had earlier issued a press release supporting the demands of the teachers.
Pfa photographs of the event.
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NANDITA NARAIN
President, DUTA
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SANDEEP
Secretary, DUTA
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