Students from DU, JNU, AUD, Jamia and schools joined SFI’s ‘Students of India Rally’ on Tuesday, demanding NTA’s scrapping, fee rollback, hostel facilities, concessional metro passes and voting rights for all DU students.
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) organised a ‘Students of India Rally’ at Delhi University’s North Campus on Tuesday, August 11, bringing together students from Delhi University (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD), Jamia Millia Islamia and schools across the capital. The rally was organised as part of SFI’s ‘Azadi Week’ celebrations.
The rally brought together a range of demands concerning access to education, affordability and student representation. Among the key demands raised were the scrapping of the National Testing Agency (NTA), rollback of fee hikes, withdrawal of the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, concessional metro passes for students, hostel facilities for all and voting rights for all DU students in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections.
The event was addressed by Lok Sabha MP Amra Ram, who called for a united struggle involving students, workers and farmers against what he described as a “divisive” agenda. According to SFI, the rally also commemorated the martyrdom day of freedom fighter Khudiram Bose, the anniversary of the organised students’ movement, the birth centenary of Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro and India’s Independence Day.
The rally also focused on the impact of recent changes in higher education. SFI Delhi State Committee member Sakhi alleged that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 had failed to address students’ concerns at universities such as DU. She pointed to an increase in dropouts following the implementation of the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), alongside what she described as inadequate seats in the newly introduced one-year MA programme.
According to Careers360, a DU student Agrima called for students to unite behind a “progressive education system” and criticised what she described as the influence of “money-muscle politics” in university elections. The demand for voting rights for all DU students in DUSU elections comes amid continuing debates over representation and participation in the university’s student politics.
The rally followed SFI Delhi’s 20th State Conference, where the organisation resolved to intensify its campaign against the “privatisation, centralisation and communalisation” of education. The organisation said it plans to reach students across Delhi, including those enrolled in private institutions and coaching centres, to advocate for what it calls an inclusive and equitable education system.
Image Caption: Students participate in SFI’s ‘Students of India Rally’ at Delhi University’s North Campus
Read Also: Ramjas College’s Students Win PETA India Award for Vegan Leather Innovation
Image Source: SFI Delhi Instagram account
Tarunima Tayal