People's Democracy

STFI Holds Second National Conference

  C Vasudevan Nair

  THE second national conference of School Teachers Federation of India (STFI), that opened in Palakkad (Kerala) on February 4, turned to be a major event in the history of teachers movement in India since independence. Sixteen teachers organisations from 11 states, representing 16 lakh teachers, participated in the conference.

  An all-India movement of teachers had been a long-cherished dream and it fructified with the formation of a coordination committee for school teachers organisations (CCSTO) at Chennari in 1997, with Thiruvananthapuram as headquarters. More associations were later affiliated to it and a federation, the STFI, was formed at Kolkata on August 12, 2000. The new federation launched several nationwide programmes when globalisation set its sharp claws on Indian education and was accompanied by its saffronisation and commercialisation of education. Industrialists came forward to set up education shops. Public education began to slowly disappear with the advent of such new policies. Thousands of schools were closed, resulting in the retrenchment of lakh of teachers.

 This was a time when small-scale industries were getting closed by droves and farmers were committing suicide in various parts of the country. All industries in public sector are being sold to multinationals or privatised. The ban on recruitment created an adrift young generation in our country.

  It was at this juncture that teachers’ representatives met at Palakkad for the STFI’s second national conference.

 The organising committee, under the leadership of N N Krishnadas, planned programmes to be carried out for the successful conduct of the conference. As many as 16 programmes, like seminars on various subjects, a women’s convention, exhibitions, public meetings, cultural events, poets’ and artists’ get-together, literary competitions etc, were conducted at various places, including rural areas. People from all realms of life participated.

 The most glaring of these programmes were the “smriti yathras” which started from Kanyakumary and Koothuparambu-Kannur simultaneously on January 31. Kerala attained complete literacy and earned a reputation for it through the dedicated and continuous effort of several social reformers, politicians and educationists. Their contributions were inseparable from one another. Leaders like Sree Narayanaguru, E M S Namboodiripad, AKG, Ayyankali, Sahodaran Ayyappan, Joseph Mundasseerry, C Kesavan, Veluthampi Delava and Chattampi Swamikal etc fought bravely against feudalism, imperialism, superstitions, colour and caste distinctions, and untouchability. The martyrs of Punnapra-Vayalar and Koothuparambu (Kannur) sacrificed their lives for the emancipation of the downtrodden and working class. They bared their chests wide to face bullets in order to save and strengthen education, among other things.

 The “smriti yathras,” receiving the portraits of renowned social reformers at various places, merged at Palakkad. Another yatra from Tamilnadu joined them at the venue, Fort Maidan, on February 4. That evening witnessed several cultural items. The exhibitions organised by Deshabhimani, Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishad, BEFI, KMSRA, Kerala NGO Union, KSTA, KSEB, officers association and various other organisations were inaugurated the same evening. K V Ramakrishnan, president of Palakkad district panchayat, distributed awards to winners in art and literary competitions.

 The annual conference of Kerala School Teachers Association (KSTA), that hosted the national conference of STFI, was compelled to limit it to one day. The election of its state council and office bearers took place on February 5. The STFI national council met at 9 p m on the same day to give finishing touches to the STFI conference schedule.

 The conference was attended by 757 delegates and took place in the Municipal Town Hall, Palakkad. Voices from different states merged into one at the time, reflecting the country’s unity in diversity.

 Kanti Biswas, minister for education in West Bengal, inaugurated the conference, detailing the onslaught of globalisation in all fields, education included, and serving a warning to the agents of imperialist powers. The session saw the presence of Mythilli Sivaraman (AIDWA), Professor Mrinmoy Bhattacharya (FISE), B Vijayakumar (AIFUCTO) and C H Asokan (AISGEF). At 3 p m, Rami Reddy, the STFI general secretary, presented his report, outlining the policy of the federation. Rasheed Kanichery, treasurer, presented the accounts for the period since the first conference.

 Delegates from all the 16 constituent organisations took part in the discussion. Various committees were formed for the conduct of the conference. The delegates recalled the 32 days long unparalleled strike in Kerala against the curtailment of the teachers’ benefits; a document about it was presented by the KSTA general secretary. The conference adopted resolutions on the need to resist the BJP assault on school education, the NDA government’s policy on education, on saving and improving the public education system, improvement of work culture, eradication of child labour, eradication of illiteracy, against communal, caste and separatist violence, on recommendations of the second labour commission, on contractisation, on abolition of posts, and on regularisation of teachers’ and employees’ services.

 The seminar on major problems of education, held at the Fort Maidan on February 6, raised a number of poignant issues regarding education. Prakash Karat (CPI-M Polit Bureau member), Professor P K Rajan (vice chancellor, Kannur university) and Dr K K Thekkedath (editor, Teachers’ World) made presentations on burning issues like communal attacks on education, impact of the recent Supreme Court verdict on education, and commercialisation of education respectively. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, deputy leader of opposition in Kerala assembly, unveiled the dangers hidden in the NDA agenda. P Ramachandran, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, was the moderator.

Another important event was the seminar on impact of globalisation on civil service, inaugurated by former Kerala chief minister E K Nayanar. The conference hall could not accommodate the people who came to hear Nayanar. Sukomal Sen (AISGEF general secretary and TUI secretary) made the keynote address, elaborating the imperialist plans and the role of the NDA government at the centre. He also served a warning to the UDF government of Kerala, which is dancing to the tune of imperialist powers. CITU state secretary M Chandran chaired the session.

Another encouraging seminar was on save and strengthen public education. It was inaugurated by V S Achuthanandan, leader of opposition in Kerala assembly.

The teachers’ rally on February 7 evening reflected the vigour of the community. Holding the STFI flags, teachers literally flowed from Indira Gandhi Stadium to Fort Maidan. Teachers from Tamilnadu, Andhra and various districts of Kerala participated in the rally. The district committees of KSTA presented the cultural items of their areas in front of their procession, and it was a quite rare experience. More than 25,000 teachers participated in the rally. They and the citizens of Palakkad cheered Pinarayi Vijayan when he laid bare the essence of the UDF government’s erroneous policies. Former finance minister T Sivadas Menon, who had been a part of the teachers movement, was befittingly felicitated. Other leaders of the STFI’s constituents were also greeted on the day.

The conference concluded at 7 p m on February 8, after approving the future programmes of action. The conference elected Rami Reddy (AP) as president, Thushar K Panchanan (WB) as general secretary, Rasheed Kanichery (Kerala) as deputy general secretary, and Pradeep K Biswas (WB) as treasurer.

This second national conference of the School Teachers Federation of India was a novel experience for the teaching community. Fourteen national level leaders of the Left movement participated in the conference in various roles. A number of fraternal trade unions and other service organisations extended continuous help to the KSTA, that hosted the conference, to make it a remarkable success.