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Members of Nagaland University Students’ Union, Lumami, take part in protest rally at the varsity campus on Wednesday, in solidarity with the students of JNU who have been protesting against the fee hike at the institute.[/caption]
Dimapur, Nov. 27 (EMN): The Nagaland University Students’ Union, Lumami (NUSU-L) conducted a peaceful rally on Wednesday in solidarity with the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), who have been on strike since last month over fee hike and new hostel manual at the varsity.
The JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) had earlier appealed to student bodies across the country to observe ‘National Day of Protest in defense of affordable and accessible education’ at their respective institutes on November 27.
An update from NUSU (L) informed that the protest rally started at 1 pm on Wednesday with students shouting slogans while marching from the university’s medical centre to the auditorium. It added that research scholars and alumni of JNU also joined the protest.
‘The rally started with the general secretary of the union, Süyievelü Venuh, highlighting the importance of the act and addressed how education is being privatised and commercialised in the countrym,’ read the press release, adding that she encouraged the participants “to fight for our educational rights for quality education is key for the development and future of our nation.”
The president of NUSU (L), Nito H Khulu, who led the rally, addressed the gathering after reaching the destination, it was informed. He stressed on unjustified policy measures implemented by the government of India on one of the most affordable universities of the country. He also told the students that ‘the demonstration was done not as a movement against the central government but as a student to fight for what is rightfully ours.’
Co-convener of Research Scholar’s Forum of the university Sentiyanger extended support to JNU students’ struggle for affordable and accessible education while speaking on behalf of the forum at the rally. Neizanuo, an alumnus of JNU, stated that the institute has changed and it is not the university she “remembers of”. Asking the students not to remain silent on such matters, she said “education should not be a luxury good” where only the privileged sections of the society can enjoy but a basic right which should be available to all sections of the society.
Expressing shock at the ill treatment meted out to the students’ of JNU by the security personnel, the NUSU (L) condemned the highhandedness of the authorities and said that the student community is “greatly troubled” by physical harassment and psychological trauma that students had to face while fighting for their basic rights.
“Democratic values and virtues can be acquired only through quality education. Privatised education cannot provide us with this because it is entirely dependent on market rules. Thus, the union hopes that the Government will subsidise education instead of privatising it, and sincerely reflect on its measures and bring down the fees. May we all prevail in this fight for our educational rights, for our fellow brothers and sisters of JNU and travesty of justice,” read the statement.
