JNUTA hunger strike: Teachers to share, read, give away books to protest 'commodification' of education

The members of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association are staging a day-long hunger strike and dharna on campus on December 4. But it's more than just a slogan fest — the teachers, who are speaking up against the commercialisation of education, asked everyone to carry books that they would like to share. A table has been set up at the Sabarmati T-Point, the site of the protest, to read, swap or give away books. They say it is their way to resist the commodification of knowledge.

The JNUTA said that they are also implementing the decision to approach the Visitor — the President of India — for removal of the Vice-Chancellor "for his long list of misdeeds and the damage these have caused to the University". Wednesday's dharna too will be a day-long activity to gather more support. "We have a poster, placard and banner painting workshop at the strike venue. These posters will be put up along campus roads and even outside," said a participating teacher.

The JNUTA members are also supposed to hold a press conference at 3.30 pm followed by a series of lectures and discussions on the threats to public education in the country. "There will be an emergency JNUTA GBM on Friday, December 6 to review the situation and plan a future course of action," said the teacher.

JNUTA President Dr DK Lobiyal and Secretary Dr Surajit Mazumder urged people to join their dharna cum hunger strike in large numbers "to express outrage at the continuation in office of a VC who is solely responsible for the crisis and also at the shielding of him by the MHRD reflected in its refusal to answer why the process initiated by the constitution of the HPC has been stalled".