People's
Democracy
(Weekly
Organ
of
the
Communist
Party
of
India
(Marxist)No. 09
March 02, 2003
(Weekly
Organ
of
the
Communist
Party
of
India
(Marxist) |
Vol.
XXVII
No. 09 March 02, 2003 |
SFI
11th
All
India
Conference
Concludes
With
The
Call
Fight Saffronisation & Commercialisation of Education
THE
eleventh
all
India
conference
of
the
Students
Federation
of
India
(SFI)
has
called
upon
the
students
and
the
people
at
large
to
fight
and
reverse
the
ongoing
saffronisation
and
commercialisation
of
education.
While
alerting
the
student
community
about
the
vested
interests
efforts
to
depoliticise
students,
the
SFI
stressed
the
necessity
for
students
to
have
a
clear
and
conscious
political
outlook.
Held
in
Kozhikode,
Kerala,
the
five
day
conference
was
a
huge
success
in
all
aspects.
The
massive
inaugural
rally,
various
surrounding
events,
vibrant
discussions
in
the
delegates
session
were
all
a
testimony
to
this
success.
The
delegates
went
back
with
a
firm
resolve
and
courage
to
fight
the
anti-national,
anti-democratic,
anti-secular
and
pro-imperialist
forces
to
the
end.
The
conference
was
marked
by
a
series
of
seminars
and
presentation
of
folk
arts
depicting
Kerala’s
great
cultural
heritage.
In
connection
with
the
conference
an
exhibition
on
the
history
of
the
student
movement
in
India,
especially
Kerala
was
held
along
with
a
book
festival
and
an
open
forum
to
discuss
contemporary
issues
threadbare.
On
the
penultimate
day,
the
Medical
College
unit
of
the
SFI
arranged
an
exhibition,
which
attracted
thousands
of
people.
The
conference
elected
a
new
central
committee
to
lead
the
SFI
in
the
coming
years
(see
box).
The
eleventh
conference
adopted
few
resolutions
on
important
issues
affecting
the
student
community
in
particular
and
the
people
in
general.
In
a
resolution
on
fighting
the
depoliticisation
it
warned
that
unless
the
students
tend
to
grow
political
outlook,
the
gross
anomalies
that
deprive
the
poorer
sections
the
facility
of
education
would
only
grow
adversely
affecting
the
interests
of
the
vast
majority
of
the
people.
“In
the
vacuum
thus
created,
imperialism
and
neocolonialism
would
tighten
their
grip
over
our
country.
Therefore
the
SFI
considers
that
it
should,
to
the
last
person,
fight
tooth
and
nail
any
attempt
to
depoliticize
the
student
community”,
stated
the
resolution.
In
another
resolution,
the
conference
criticised
the
Congress
governments
in
different
parts
of
the
country
for
pursuing
the
Sangh
Parivar
policies
on
education.
“The
BJP
agenda
on
education
is
swallowed
with
out
question
by
many
a
Congress
government.
Kerala
is
a
prime
example
of
this.
The
state
government
is
attempting
to
fully
withdraw
from
the
field
of
education.
This
is
in
consonance
with
the
globalisation
politics
and
policies.
Besides
this,
the
attempt
to
saffronise
education
is
accepted
with
out
any
questioning
by
some
Congress
chief
ministers”
said
the
SFI.
Warning
that
the
Sangh
Parivar
is
trying
to
revive
all
types
of
obscurantism,
such
as
astrology,
Vedic
rituals,
priestly
teachings
etc
the
resolution
called
upon
the
student
community
to
wage
a
bitter
fight
to
defeat
the
forces
out
to
bury
the
scientific
and
rational
education.
In
yet
another
resolution
the
eleventh
conference
has
cautioned
the
attempt
of
the
governments
all
over
the
country
-
except
the
progressive
Left
governments
-
to
fully
implement
globalisation
policies
in
the
field
of
education
by
progressively
commercializing
it.
“This
commercialization
leads
to
the
alienation
of
the
poor
people
from
getting
educated.
It
also
leads
to
compromising
on
the
quality
of
education.
It
is
not
the
worth
and
value
of
education
that
is
in
question,
but
the
quantum
of
profit
that
the
new
business
might
bring
to
the
investors
that
is
in
question.
Thus
commercialization
leads
to
corruption
of
a
rampant
order.
Self-financing,
unaided
sector
of
education
wants
a
major
share
of
seats
to
be
sold
to
the
undeserving
moneyed
classes
while
the
deserving
merit
holders
go
un-admitted
in
schools
and
colleges
and
universities.
It
is
high
time
the
attempts
at
commercialisation
are
vehemently
fought
against”
called
the
resolution.
In
a
strongly
worded
resolution,
the
conference
condemned
the
heinous
attempts
by
US
to
wage
war
on
Iraq
disregarding
the
stiff
popular
opposition
from
different
parts
of
the
world.
The
unilateral
decision
of
the
US
to
attack
Iraq
is
intended
for
getting
hold
of
the
vast
oil
reserves
in
Iraq.
The
resolution
emphasized
on
the
need
to
develop
an
anti-war
movement
through
out
the
country
in
which
the
students
would
have
a
positive
role
to
play.
The
resolution
also
urged
the
central
government
to
shed
its
apathetic
attitude
on
the
question
of
the
proposed
US
war
on
Iraq.
The
central
government
forgets
its
natural
allies
and
tries
to
ally
with
the
US
at
the
cost
of
the
great
values
of
peace
by
which
India
always
stood,
noted
the
resolution.
In
another
resolution
the
conference
demanded
the
central
government
to
aid
the
northeastern
states
to
improve
their
lot.
The
northeastern
states
are
backward
in
various
spheres
of
development.
Their
historical
backwardness
is
further
aggravated
by
the
terrorist
activities
and
extremist
intimidations.
This
backwardness
further
increases
the
terrorism
and
extremism.
Therefore
it
is
up
to
the
central
government
to
bring
these
states
into
the
mainstream
of
national
life.
With
this
purpose
the
centre
has
to
provide
these
states
with
sufficient
funds
and
allocations.
The
industrially
and
agriculturally
backward
northeastern
states
have
to
be
uplifted.
Their
educational
backwardness
is
to
be
warded
off,
noted
the
resolution.
All
resolutions
were
unanimously
passed
by
the
conference.
The
conference
discussed
and
adopted
the
draft
programme
and
constitution
of
the
SFI
which
will
be
discussed
in
all
units
of
the
organisation.
This
inner
organisational
discussion
will
culminate
in
a
special
conference
to
adopt
the
updated
programme
and
constitution.
