The All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisation has slammed the Union Budget calling it ‘anti-education’ and ‘anti-people’. AIFUCTO criticised the 6.13 per cent cut in this year’s budget in comparison to last year. The Organisation said that education was being made more ‘centralised, corporatised, privatised, commercialised and communalism’.
“The budget speaks of many things without adequate financing. There has been slashing by 6.13 per cent in the budget from previous year (Rs 99,300 crore to Rs 93,224 crore) Thus relying more on market forces to implement policy matters. Opening of Sainik schools through private participation, glue grant for research, strengthening of 15,000 government schools will ultimately encourage market forces to enter into the public sector of education,” the Organisation said in a statement.
Many education activists and organisations have repeatedly called out the Centre for ignoring their recommendations and suggestions. The AIFUCTO also made the same accusation, “The announcement to bring Bill for the formation of Higher Education Commissions against all our opposition is a retrograde measure. It is an affront on our federal structure and will centralise all policy initiatives in the hands of the central government. This forum, AIFUCTO apprehends, will be an easy tool for ideological and political domination of the BJP government at the center.”
They also pointed out that the thrust of the NEP is also an imposition on the nation without discussion in the parliament, state legislature, “All the stakeholders including AIFUCTO will not ‘Save Education, Save Campus, Save Nation’.”
There are many other issues that the AIFUCTO pointed out that the budget speech could have mentioned, “There is no measure to fill up the large scale vacant teaching and non-teaching post in the country. There is nothing about the service conditions of contractual, part-time and block grant as well as ad-hoc teachers. AIFUCTO is of the strong opinion that this budget will destroy our public-funded education system and our cherished constitutional ethos of a democratic, scientific, secular and inclusive education.”
“AIFUCTO will continue its structure against the NEP 2020 to save education, save campus and save our nation from corporate and fundamentalist forces. We oppose this budget tooth and nail because AIFUCTO is convinced it will open the flood gate for loot and plunder of our national assets including the demolition of public-funded education of our country,” they declared.
