On the occasion of ‘Quit India Movement Day’ (August 9), a protest was held at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, under the banner of the Youth Socialist Initiative (YSI) with the slogan “Merchants of Education Quit Power.” Socialist activists, trade union leaders, teachers, students, journalists and youth from various parts of the country participated in the protest.
This event was part of a series of programs scheduled to be held over the next ten years to mark the completion of 90 years of the Indian socialist movement. While commemorating the 1942 Quit India Movement and the pivotal role socialists played in it, the event called for building a broad-based movement to safeguard the constitutional right to education from the corporate-communal nexus.
The day began with paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi at his samaddhi Rajghat. Members of the Youth Socialist Initiative and the Bharatiya Socialist Manch took a pledge to struggle for ensuring the right to equal, quality, and free education for all Indian students.
After Rajghat, the participants proceeded to Acharya Narendra Deva Vatika. Amidst slogans like “Long live Acharya Narendra Deva” and “Merchants of Education, Quit Power,” floral tributes were offered at the statue of Acharya Narendra Deva, a stalwart of the socialist movement.
The following list of the ‘merchants of education’ was released at Jantar Mantar by YSI:
1. The Congress party, which, by implementing the market economy in 1991, paved the way for the privatization, commercialization, and globalization of education – contrary to the spirit of the Constitution;
2. The BJP/RSS, which strengthened and accelerated the process of privatization, commercialization, and globalization of education by constituting a committee led by two major industrialists – Kumar Mangalam Birla and Mukesh Ambani. The New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 represents a giant leap in that direction;
3. All political parties within the NDA and UPA coalitions that have been involved in this entire process;
4. Business persons – both small and big – engaged in a race for profiteering in the education market, aided by political patronage and convenience;
5. Those ‘philanthropists’ who run the business of education under the guise of providing world-class schooling and higher education in private institutions;
6. Dignitaries holding high constitutional offices who participate in events organized by private universities;
7. The country’s educationists, teachers, and intellectuals who, while serving on UGC or government committees, have collaborated with governments to execute this unconstitutional agenda;
8. Scholarly teachers who built their own careers in public colleges and universities yet work for private and foreign universities and sing their praises;
9. Individuals from the NGO world who accept domestic and foreign grants, positions, and awards in the name of piecemeal educational reforms, while upholding the market-driven character and economy of education. Such individuals play a significant role in suppressing and derailing the struggle for education base on the constitutional values of equality, democracy and secularism.
Along with this, the following resolve of the Youth Socialist Initiative was presented before the Jan Panchayats of the country:
The framers of the Constitution – particularly Dr. Ambedkar – wished to place the right to education among the Fundamental Rights in Part 3 of the Constitution. Instead, it was placed in Part 4 under the Directive Principles of State Policy, with the resolve that the goal of the right to education in independent India should be achieved quickly – specifically, within ten years. However, this constitutional resolve was never fulfilled. On the contrary, India’s political and intellectual elite enacted laws contrary to this resolve, effectively surrendering education to the forces of market. This entire process must be reversed.
To achieve this goal, the following steps must be taken without delay:
1. All laws enacted during the neoliberal era that contravene the Constitution must be repealed to facilitate the immediate restoration and strengthening of a constitutional education system;
2. The State must assume responsibility for providing equal and high-quality education to all – from the primary level up to postgraduate studies;
3. The State must ensure that every student in the country has easy access to admission in their preferred subjects or courses;
4. All schools, colleges, and universities established through government grants (such as subsidized land, loans, etc.) must be brought under public sector;
5. Current education has been reduced to merely producing skilled labour for the existing capitalist market system. The communalization of education is fostering narrow-mindedness, superstition, and irrationality in society. This anti-educational situation must be ended; the content and language of education across disciplines – such as science, commerce, sociology, economics, humanities, arts, technology, medicine, management etc. – should be designed to cultivate rational citizens capable of making original contributions in their respective fields;
6. In essence, the market-character of education/knowledge, as well as the economy itself, must be transformed to the people-oriented character and economy of education;
7. Special sessions of Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies should be convened to discuss the issue of education in a holistic manner.
Youth Socialist Initiative believes a government that fosters corporate interests and communalism under the corporate politics that has taken deep root in the country would not listen to this charter of demands. Hence, public awakening is the only way forward. As Professor Anil Sadgopal has stated, the struggling masses of the country must integrate the fight for the right to education into their broader struggles for water, forests, land, and livelihoods.
On the historic occasion of Quit India Movement Day YSI appeals to all progressive organizations, groups, and individuals fighting for the constitutional rights of the Indian people in various fields to take up the cause of ending the privatization, commercialization, and globalization of education.
The chief guest at the event was Jayanti Bhai Panchal, a senior trade union leader from Gujarat. Advocate Aditya Kumar, President of the Bharatiya Samajwadi Manch, presided over the proceedings. Distinguished guests included Advocate Bijendra Yadav (Convener, Bharat Samvad Abhiyan), Shahid Salim (an activist of the United Peace Initiative from Jammu & Kashmir), and senior socialists Devendra Singh Awana, Devendra Gurjar, and Charansingh Rajput.
Several speakers — including Comrade Narendra, Dr. Shashishekhar Singh, Dr. Bhagwan Singh, Amar Singh Amar, Dr. Prem Singh, Suresh Gavai, and Bandan Pandey — shared their views during the gathering. Students and faculty members from Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia University participated in the demonstration. The demonstration was moderated by Dr. Hiranya Himkar.
Dr. Hiranya Himkar for Youth Socialist Initiative
