By Muslim Mirror Special Correspondent,
New Delhi: Student group Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) will launch nationwide campaign from Aug 25th to September 10th 2018 to press a host of demands including restoring Maulana Azad National Fellowship’s (MANF) budget and enactment of Rohit Act.
Addressing a press conference here at the Press Club of India, campaign convener and SIO General Secretary Khaleeq Ahmed Khan said the SIO will spearhead the campaign billed as ‘Resist Internal Colonization of Education; Demand the Rights of the Marginalized’ and it will be launched from Jaipur.
He said we have !0- points charter of demands including:
1. Increase the budget allocation for the MANF
2. Enact Rohit act to criminalize systemic violence against SC and ST and Minorities
3. Give special package for SCs STs and minorities to ensure adequate representation in higher education
4. Eradicate educational disparity in MCDs
5. Stop saffronization of education
6. Restore UGC autonomy and all its powers
7. Repeal UGC regulation resulted in PhD and M Phil seat cuts
8. Ensure government service in education; repeal financial autonomous in education
9. Protect minority status of JMI and AMU
10. Implement RTE in its full form and set up a commission to study the status reserved communities in primary education.
Tauseef Madakari pointed out that MANF budget was Rs 90 crores but it was reduced down by the present government to Rs 50 crores. Earlier, minority students used to get of monthly Rs 25,000 scholarship without NET, he said. Though the government increase fellowship quota from 750 to 1000 students but with a rider of clearing NET examiniaion.
Attempt is being made to curtail the opportunities for the marginalized students in the field of education, he alleged.
“New educational policies as well as the systematized invisible violence are extensively contributing to make it happen. This is actually similar to old fashioned castiest colonialist monopoly of education and knowledge is coming back to the practice. That’s why SIO of India decided to give the title for the campaign as ‘Resist Internal Colonization of Education; Demand the Rights of the Marginalized’.”
“As part of the campaign several programs will be conducted in campuses and major cities across the country. One of the major programs will be campus caravan. SIO central team will lead a caravan which will go to northern states of India covering Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Uttarakhand , Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Apart from that SIO state committees will also organize programs by raising other local educational issues also. Seminars, symposium, mass rally, public conferences at state capitals and memorandum submissions to people’s representatives and ministers will also be conducted. A grand final program will be organized here in Delhi with the participation of different student leaders. SIO of India National President Nahas Mala will address the gathering of grand final program”.