As many as 16 student organisations came together under the banner of United Students of India today, Friday, January 12, at Jantar Mantar questioning new changes being introduced in education like the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Common University Entrance Test (CUET).
In a press statement shared by the student organisations, the protestors said that the government tried to stop this joint march by the student organisations.
“The BJP government has used their machinery to stop the joint student march. Student volunteers from various parts of the country were questioned by police before their departure from respective states and BJP used different university administrations to stop students from joining the march and attempted discouraging. Delhi police used their machinery to deny permission and stop the gathering from taking place,” the statement said.
The student alliance also appealed to the students of India to reject the BJP in the upcoming elections due to their ‘dismantling of public education’ owing to their policies.
"There has never been a more communal government as this BJP-led NDA government. Their sole agenda is to divide the people and the students over communal lines but we the students of India will not accept a government that attacks the principles of secularism and federalism of our dear nation. We will not accept this BJP that wants to sell our education to the capitalists," said VP Sanu, All India President of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) while addressing the students today, January 12.
Demands
The student activists put forward a range of demands for the central government and the public during their grand March on Friday.
The major demands by the students included rejecting NEP 2020, CUET and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exams, enactment of Bhagat Singh National Employment Guarantee Act, protection of the Schedule Castes/Scheduled Tribe/Other Backward Class (SC/ST/OBC) rights in education, student union elections on all higher education campuses, and more.
The students also demanded the Central government to roll back the Agnipath scheme; halt fee hikes and ensure free, quality education from kindergarten to postgraduation
The students also stressed on the need for a Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) in every higher education institute.
