College teacher bodies across India hold virtual rally to demand withdrawal of NEP

The All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations organised an All India Web Rally to demand the withdrawal of the National Education Policy. The AIFUCTO has chosen to organise this event on International Teachers’ Day on October 5 and are hoping that their voice will get carried on to the government.

Since a lot of protests have gone virtual due to the pandemic, the AIFUCTO has also decided to do the same. The organisation began their rally from 2 pm and the AIFUCTO branches across the county came together to protest against the highly contested NEP. In the past too, the organisation has frequently raised their voices against the NEP for being discriminatory and exclusionary. The members have all changed their WhatsApp profile pictures and replaced them with posters demanding the withdrawal. 

The Organisation will also be doing a live telecast with members speaking on the need for the NEP to be withdrawn, “Let the academic community of the whole country unite in protest against NEP,” the General Secretary and President wrote. In the evening, the AIFUCTO will invite two leaders from each affiliate organisations.

The AIFUCTO had previously accused the MHRD of not taking into consideration various recommendations that they and other organisations had sent to them with regard to the NEP, “On behalf of AIFUCTO, I want to make it very clear that the claim of the Minister that the NEP was the outcome of wide consultations is not based on our estimation. In spite of repeated requests, presentation of our memorandum and appeal, the request of AIFUCTO for discussion was never considered. Not a single recognised teachers' organisations, student organisations,employees organisations and others were consulted for discussions. In our opinion the proposed NEP is undemocratic in character and exclusions in its manifestation” the General Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar of the AIFUCTO had said in May after a contradictory claim by the Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal.