The political debate around India's education system and recent student protests intensified on Saturday after All India Students' Association (AISA) President Neha Bora spoke to the media after meeting with Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi.
Bora said the meeting was “most fruitful” for students and the state of the country’s education system. In this day and age of politics, conversations of this kind rarely have to take place, even though education is one of the most important issues for the country’s youth, Bora says.
VIDEO | Delhi: After meeting Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, AISA president Neha Bora says, “I think the discussion we had today with Rahul Gandhi sir was most fruitful. Discussions like these, about the country's education system, hardly ever take place. There is no meaningful… pic.twitter.com/TVvRH84L7x
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"I think the discussion we had today with Rahul Gandhi sir was most fruitful. Discussions like these, about the country's education system, hardly ever take place. There is no meaningful discussion on education. There is no discussion on how the entire education system has been taken over in such a way that the education, learning, and curiosity of young, promising minds are being destroyed. We had a wonderful discussion on this issue," Bora said.
She also expressed her concern about student-led protests in Bihar and the incidents prior to the Bihar Bandh. Bora alleged that huge numbers of student activists were detained by Bihar Police before the bandh was held.
"Another concern that we shared with sir was that there was a call for a Bihar Bandh today. Before the bandh, yesterday, a large number of student activists were arrested by Bihar Police," she said.
Rahul Gandhi's demands represent the concerns of students and young people in India, Bora said. She added that the issues we discussed at the meeting went deeper than the current protests and involved accountability issues, education reform and the future of the Indian youth.
The AISA leader emphasized the ongoing demand for the resignation of the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. She said this demand is not negotiable to protesting students.
"There can be no step back on the demand for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. No change of ministry will be acceptable. No bill against paper leaks is going to satisfy the demand that Dharmendra Pradhan must resign," Bora said.
In addition to calling for the Education Minister’s resignation, Bora also called for accountability for the violence that happened on the 20th during the protests. She said responsibility should not be limited to one individual and wanted to see senior officials held accountable.
"There must also be accountability for the violence that took place on the 20th. The Commissioner of Police and the Home Minister must also be held accountable. There can be no compromise or adjustment on this issue," she added.
As such, education-related issues and student protests have been a topic of political debate recently; opposition leaders and student organizations have voiced concerns about the functioning of the education system and the government response to protests; the ruling establishment has defended the actions and policies.
Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with student organizations indicates the party’s continuing engagement with student issues as the political issues of education, accountability and governance are still part and parcel of the debate.
In the longer term, the debate over education policy and recent protests is likely to be a hot topic for student organizations who fight on and political leaders who criticize it. Bora's latest comments are yet to be received by the government, and attention is likely to be focused on the student movement.
