People's Democracy

Education Shall Be Developed Further: Buddhadeb

EDUCATION has come a long way under the Left Front government. There is a long way to go yet. This was the crux of the message that Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee communicated to students while addressing a packed SFI rally in Kolkata recently.

Stressing the importance attached by the seventh Left Front government to higher education and primary education in particular, Buddhadeb pointed out that both vertical and horizontal growth were being looked at and in a planned manner. The students’ rally was organised under the aegis of the Bengal SFI state committee at the Rani Rashmoni Road crossing in downtown Kolkata on a rain swept afternoon that would not dampen the enthusiasm of either the speaker or of the vast assemblage.

Buddhadeb delineated the four points of priority in higher education, and these were:
p Infrastructure and other facilities of private sector engineering colleges will be improved further with adequate number of educators put in

p There would be no private universities; universities would remain in the state sector

p Centres of excellence would be increased in number with a science research centre being set up in Kalyani 

p In view of the great demand envisaged for technically qualified persons in Bengal in the wake of industrialisation, the Left Front government has plans to expand vocational and technical education in a big way

In expanding primary education, said the chief minister, the seventh Left Front government would prioritise total literacy. The number of those literate in Bengal would be increased from the present 75 per cent to a full 100 per cent. The total literacy movement would get further boost as well. 

In his address, Buddhadeb mentioned that the students who had come to attend the rally despite the incessant rain were fortified by the ideology of socialism and that this had made them simply ignore the inclement weather. The Students’ Federation of India, recalled the speaker, himself a former student and youth leader, was born in the ambience of a heightened phase of the anti-imperialist struggle in the country.

A huge accolade met the chief minister’s words from amongst the students who ranged from school-going kids to SFI workers from the colleges and universities. The rally was preceded by small and large assemblages that the SFI units had organised at the district level.

The Bengal unit of the SFI had convened the rally under the banner of four important slogans:
m Resist imperialist aggression

m Resist commercialisation of education

m Develop industrialisation to a higher level

m Foil conspiracies to foster de-politicisation, criminalisation, and anarchy in education

Buddhadeb was clear in his mind when he said that those who would advocate de-politicisation of students in fact were of the ultra-right, a section that would worship Hitler with impunity. Post-independence India is bereft with problems. The students must probe into the issues concerned and find answers to the question that would inevitably confront them.

Buddhadeb than outlined the role that the students’ movement must emote in the present situation.

u Education movement must be carried out relentlessly

u Students must step forward to support the industrialisation drive of the Bengal LF government

u Students should be vocal against the forces that would oppose industrialisation and development

u The anti-imperialist struggle must be carried forth with fervour

Speaking on the issue of reservation, Buddhadeb pointed out that there was need for reservation yet to help people from the backward communities move forward. Reservation of seats in educational institutions should be done but with additional seats put in. Buddhadeb was critical of the process called ‘ragging’ and said that such acts of commission demanded punishment.

The rally was also addressed by the state SFI leadership including Apurba Chatterjee, Sudip Sengupta, Ritabrata Banerjee, and Debshankar Chaudhuri. (B P)