NewsClick

NewsClick
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Covid-19
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • International
  • Sports
  • Articles
  • Videos
search
menu

INTERACTIVE ELECTION MAPS

image/svg+xml
  • All Articles
  • Newsclick Articles
  • All Videos
  • Newsclick Videos
  • हिन्दी
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Science
  • Culture
  • India
  • Sports
  • International
  • Africa
  • Latin America
  • Palestine
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • US
  • West Asia
About us
Subscribe
Follow us Facebook - Newsclick Twitter - Newsclick RSS - Newsclick
close menu
×
For latest updates on nCOVID-19 around the world visit our INTERACTIVE COVID MAP
Protests & Movements
Covid-19
Politics
India

Students Protest Across West Bengal Demanding Fee Waiver

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) organised a statewide protest in West Bengal demanding fee waiver in schools and colleges on Wednesday, June 18.
Ditsa Bhattacharya
19 Jun 2020
Students Protest Across West Bengal Demanding Fee Waiver

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) organised a statewide protest in West Bengal demanding fee waiver in schools and colleges on Wednesday, June 18. The organisation demanded that the fees be waived in schools for the months of the lockdown, and for the current semester in colleges and universities. Sit-in protests were organised in various districts across the state on Wednesday.

SFI West Bengal said in a statement, “The fee should be waived for the duration of the ongoing lockdown, and online classes should not be started until each and every student has access to the internet.” It added, “Before the classes resume, all schools and college campuses should be thoroughly sanitised, and masks and sanitisers should be made available in enough quantities for all students.”

In Birbhum, during a peaceful sit-in, the protesting students were allegedly threatened by the local Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons. SFI West Bengal State Committee member Wasim Raja was also physically attacked by the goons. However, despite all of it, the protest continued.

protest

West Bengal state secretary of SFI, Srijan Bhattacharya, said, “The schools cannot take fees during the lockdown period. A lot of families have lost their source of income. The parents of children studying in private schools have been demanding fee waiver for a long time now. Why is the government not paying any heed to it? Why can’t the TMC government in the state ask the private schools to cooperate?”

Also read: Pitfalls of Government’s Big Push for Online Higher Education

While some schools in West Bengal have indicated that they will provide fee relief for the April-June quarter, most schools have kept mum on the topic. In a large number of private schools, the parents of the students are still paying transport fees despite the fact that the schools have been closed for three months now. They are also paying lab fees and other development charges. The parents have raised these issues multiple times during the lockdown. 

West Bengal has 76,703 primary schools, 8,839 upper primary schools, 3,296 secondary schools, and 6,898 senior secondary schools, according to the Educational Statistics at a Glance report released in 2018 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). The number of higher educational institutions is 1,411. Lakhs of students are studying in these institutions, and a major proportion of them have been suffering due to lack of resources during the months of the lockdown.

Srijan added, “Apart from that, the government must also waive the fees for the current semester in college and universities. The Union government has time and again asked all educational institutions to use online teaching. However, this is disrupting the education of a lot of students. The central government and state government should declare a special stimulus package for education.”

The central government and the state government have constantly been making decisions that concern the students, however, according to SFI, no one has made any attempts to talk to the students, who are the real stakeholders here. Apart from fee waiver, Wednesday’s protest had a 17-point demand charter, which included proper sanitation of schools and college campuses, midday meals for all school students, and scholarships for all students.

protsrt5

Protests took place in at least 15 locations across the state on Wednesday. Amphan, the cyclone in the month of May, along with the lockdown have affected the education sector, and the students are also bearing the brunt of it. SFI has said that if the government continues to ignore their pleas and demands, they will be forced to take the protest farther.

Srijan said, “We came out on the streets to raise the issues being faced by ordinary students during the pandemic. If even this does not open the government’s eyes, we will gherao the homes of Chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Education Minister Partha Chatterjee.” 

Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
Students Protest
Fee Waiver
West Bengal government
Mamata Banerjee
School Education in West Bengal
Lockdown Impact on Students
SFI
SFI Demands Fee Waiver
Related Stories
Mining

Bengal Elections: Ahead of Polls, Mamata Banerjee’s ‘Pet’ Mining Project Faces Renewed Opposition

Aunindyo News Made Easy March 2

Can Mamata Banerjee Stop BJP's Rise in Bengal?

Rajbanshis will play a major role in Bengal Assembly elections.

Bengal Elections: Why TMC, BJP Are Pulling Out All Stops to Win Over Rajbanshis

gumung

TMC Government Withdraws Over 79 Cases Against Gorkha Leader Bimal Gurung

DYFI

Death of a Comrade and More Brutal Assaults

WB Polls: Parties Vie for Matua Votes with Doles, Citizenship Issue Looms

WB Polls: Parties Vie for Matua Votes with Doles, Citizenship Issue Looms

up bhwan

Delhi Police Detain Students Protesting Violence Against Minor Girls in UP’s Unnao

West Bengal: 3 Days After DYFI Activist’s Death, Another Allegedly Tortured in Custody

West Bengal: 3 Days After DYFI Activist’s Death, Another Allegedly Tortured in Custody

Hyderabad University Students Gherao Admin Block Demanding Scrapping of Development Fees

Hyderabad University Students Gherao Admin Block Demanding Scrapping of Development Fees

Despite Gorkha Leaders’ Support, Trinamool’s Prospects in North Bengal Uncertain

Despite Gorkha Leaders’ Support, Trinamool’s Prospects in North Bengal Uncertain

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare via EmailShare on RedditShare on KindlePrint
Share

Related Stories

Sandip Chakraborty

Sanjukta Morcha Protests Against Hike in Petrol Prices in Kolkata

07 March 2021
Kolkata: Tens of thousands of Sanjukta morcha activists today took to the streets of Kolkata as they protested against t
Rabindra Nath Sinha

West Bengal Elections: Experts Observe a Control Shift from Upper, Middle Classes

06 March 2021
Kolkata, March 3: If one were to ask what stood out among several
Sandip Chakraborty

Bengal Elections: TMC List Flooded with Celebrities, 3 Seats for GJM’s Gurung Faction

06 March 2021
Kolkata : The li

Pagination

  • Next page ››

More

  • Kerala Elections 2021: After 14 Elections, Women Still Under-represented in State Assembly

    Kerala Elections 2021: After 14 Elections, Women Still Under-represented in State Assembly

  • Singareni Coal Workers Start Indefinite Dharna Against Commercial Mining

    Singareni Coal Workers Start Indefinite Dharna Against Commercial Mining

  • Sugarcane Farmers.

    Farmers in Western UP Hold Protest Against Irregularities in Weighing of Sugarcane

  • Why a Weakening Gulf Stream Could Bring Extreme Weather Conditions

    Why a Weakening Gulf Stream Could Bring Extreme Weather Conditions

  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with
about