THE Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is going to introduce a ranking system for Kendriya Vidyalayas in June next year, according to media reports. While the stated objective for the reported move is to “improve quality”, the ploy is to cut down on government spending and privatise school education. Educationists have warned against such a move. If private schools are later included in the ranking system, schools run and aided by governments may be left behind, which will ultimately encourage people to send their wards to private schools.

THOUSANDS of students from all over India marched under the banner of the Students’ Federation of India to the parliament on March 3, 2017, against the right-wing assaults led by the RSS-BJP-ABVP on education, democracy and social justice, and for a pro-people, pro-student education policy. The call for this march was given by the central executive committee of SFI in the wake of an unrelenting authoritarian assault on campuses and students in the past couple of years in the wake of the imposition of RSS’ agenda of Hindutva.

THE central executive committee of the Students’ Federation of India, in a statement issued on October 5, has denounced the efforts of ABVP to create anarchy and a reign of terror in the Himachal Pradesh University campus. In the last one-week, ABVP goons have attacked research scholars, girl students and tribal students in the campus. All this is happening in the presence and protection of police and the administration.

THE new academic year has begun in Indian universities with signals of authoritarian highhandedness in different forms. The beginning of any academic activity is supposed to be fear free and must be in an atmosphere of freedom. However, the news coming from campuses from EFLU to JNU, situated in diverse locations in the country offer stern warnings regarding what is in store for the new students. These indicate that this academic year for the students is going to be no different from the previous academic year when they were filled with student outrages.

INDIA is one of the youngest nations in the world with more than 54 percent of its total population below 25 years of age. An effective education system with proper balance between the three basic parameters of accessibility, equality and quality is essential for utilisation of this young human resource towards the task of nation building.