CPI(M) students’ wing, the Students Federation of India (SFI), on August 1 launched five country-wide ‘jathas’ (foot marches) — called ‘March for Education’ — to protest the National Education Policy and demand its withdrawal. Out of five jathas, two will reached Kolkata on September 2, covering 22 districts of West Bengal and traversing more than 2,500 kilometres, to participate in a students’ rally at College Street here.
At the rally, CPM state secretary Biman Bose will deliver the keynote address and a draft ‘Alternative Education Policy’, seeking to replace the National Education Policy, will be made public, said SFI sources. The SFI leadership alleged that the Centre’s National Education Policy is not in the interest of poor and middle-class students and paved the way for the privatisation of education.
According to SFI sources, five such Jathas, which have been passing through different parts of the country, will help strengthen the organisation and create a future force for larger movements. After passing through Tripura and Assam, the north-eastern Jatha entered Bengal through Buksirhat in Cooch Behar and reached Malda covering several districts of North Bengal. Other batches of SFI students from Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha are travelling through various districts of South Bengal via Digha in East Midnapore. Besides SFI state leadership, its all-India general secretary Mayukh Biswas and central committee leaders Dipsita Dhar and Aishe Ghosh are also participating in these jathas, said sources.
SFI state secretary Srijan Bhattacharya said, “If we want to resist the cultural aggression of the RSS-BJP, we must celebrate the ocean of humanity that has formed in this vast diversity and our history of living together. As much as they talk about a one-dimensional society, we will highlight the history of Bengal full of tolerant multi-dimensional diversity.”
A CPM leader said, “We are demanding the withdrawal of the National Education Policy and have been getting support in various districts of Bengal. This will help us strengthen our organisation. Unless we have a strong organisation in place, we cannot fight TMC in panchayat and Lok Sabha elections.”
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