The All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) expresses solidarity with the agitating students in TISS campuses in the country. It is highly condemnable that the TISS administration has suddenly and arbitrarily announced the imposition of compulsory fee for the current students including the Government of India Post Matric Scholarship students (GOI-PMS). It has disregarded the impact of this unjust decision on the student community especially from the SC-ST-OBC sections. This is a direct assault on the right to higher education of students from the marginalised sections. It is with the aid of such scholarship many students, especially female students from deprived background are able to reach institutions for higher learning.
AIDWA strongly condemns such attempts towards privitisation of education. Cuts in allocation of funds for education, promotion of the PPP model for schools and colleges and stoppage of scholarships expose the pro-elitist thrust of the neo-liberal policies being rampantly followed by this government. We oppose this sinister plan of the administration to deny poor students the right to higher education and demand its immediate withdrawal.
AIDWA whole-heartedly supports the justified demands of the TISS students –
1. Reinstatement of the post-matric scholarship meant for students from different marginalised sections;
2. Immediate stop to harassment of students;
3. Central and state governments should immediately release the funds and backlogs to premier institutions like TISS and for the welfare of students from weaker sections;
4. Put an end to the spreading hatred in the campuses and dividing students on caste, religious, ethnicity, gender, class and regional grounds;
5. Stop the attempts to saffronise educational institutions and campuses;
6. Uphold the space for scientific and rationale thought and freedom of individuals;
7. Reinstate the Schools and Centres on Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy
8. Ensure the fulfilment of constitutional and democratic rights of students from SC, ST, OBC, Minority and other special categories.
Malini Bhattacharya
President
