and many places at the initiative of the Students’
Federation of India. Noteworthy among these
struggles have been those which the student
masses have conducted for their educational,
economic and other demands related to their
student’s life. Since its founding Conference at
Trivandrum in December 1970 (in which I par-
ticipated) the SFI as the fighting centre of demo-
cratic students in the country has paid serious
attention to the educational situation. It passed a
resolution On Education at its founding Confer-
ence, which proved useful in taking a democratic
stand and outlook on education among the stu-
dent masses and in mobilizing their support.
At its Second Conference held at Calcutta, a
stronghold of the revolutionary movement in
India, the SFI has adopted an important new
resolution On Education. It is more clear that
this, more concretely than the earlier resolution,
incorporates the theoretical and practical experi-
ence of SFI units in different states in formulating
and fighting for a new and just system of educa-
tion for the people of India. The resolution, rep-
resenting a deeper understanding of the problem
of education in a backward country’s presents, in
a capsule, our democratic and scientific alterna-
tive to the present system of education.
The SFI starts, in its resolution, with an obser-
vation, criticism an indictment of those aspects
of the educational situation which have come to
the forefront. In other words, it takes up what the
Congress Government Processes, especially in
its Fifth Year Plan document, with what happens
and continues in reality. Following from this, the
resolution sketches out an alternative system of
education provides some important guidelines
and makes concrete demands. It makes it clear
beyond doubt that this system of education, for
which the SFI has resolved to campaign and fight
resolutely must be integrated with the needs and
aspiration of the Indian people. The guiding
principle of the democratic and scientific atti-
tude to education is that education must be de-
veloped, not for the benefit or enlightenment of
a few, not to create islands of knowledge and skill
but as an instrument of struggle to solve the basic
problems of our toiling millions.Viewing the whole question from this perspective,
the SFI has highlighted its key demands about edu-
cation for the people:Free and Universal Education up to the Sec-
ondary Stage:
Around this slogan is built a whole concept of
a new structure of education to meet the needs
of the Indian people. The student community, in
common with all democratic forces and the toil-
ing people, must fight for the urgent and imme-
diate liquidation of the curse of mass illiteracy in
this country. The Student community must cam-
paign and fight for a minimum seven-year pri-
mary education for all boys and girls who have
reached the age of five--this being de first step
towards the early introduction of universal, free
and compulsory secondary education of three
years, and vocational training institutes. The stu-
dent community must campaign and fight for an
immediate increase in educational facilities at the
secondary stage, at the two-year post-secondary
stage and the College and University stage. It32The content of
education must
make sense in
the modern world,
in other words,
must be
scientific
and relevant.
Student Struggle | June - July 2019