Talking about the ongoing protests against the JNU fee hike, I fee it could be reasonably negotiated but using force on students means undoing what we teach them to do. Student movements have had transformative and revolutionary power in world history, from 13th century Paris to the climate activism of Greta Thunberg. Many Of my friends didn’t support the agitation saying that it’s an unjust agitation as the fee being very low, and the students are all left-oriented, having vices like drugs, drinking, and enjoying at the cost of taxpayers money and some of them even suggested closing down the premier institute. But after carefully trying to understand the situation, of the JNU campus, my views are slightly different. For a long JNU has come to be recognised as one of the most liberal institutions which provide quality education at affordable rates. It has provided succour to the poorest of the poor who couldn’t afford a respectable education for their children due to the hefty fee charged by other eminent institutions. Its fee structure was nothing when compared to its counterparts. It is true that today’s polarised times, we have to pay through the nose, for subsidising comforts and facilities enjoyed by our leaders/politicians. Even the poor have to share this burden in the form of indirect taxes. But in return can’t we expect some subsidy in education for our children?
It was unfortunate that Delhi police used brutal force against number Of students from JNU who participated in the protest march to parliament, the other day, demanding total rollback, as the students are of the view that two in five boarders can not afford this 300 percent hike at a stretch and it would hamper the aspirations of the young. This will further make education a commodity only for the rich and for the higher middle class. While it must be accepted that a reasonable fee hike is needed, it must also be ensured that the once highly reputed institution is not divested of its original purpose.
JNU is renowned internationally for its quality knowledge product and its research. It has produced this years' Nobel Prize Winner too. But, ironically, even he was jailed for protesting back in the day.
Our country's cabinet secretary, Foreign secretary, and chiefs of the internal&external intelligence agencies were all former JNU students. The present Finance Minister and Foreign Minister also went to JNU.
Besides nurturing personal and intellectual freedoms by teachers and students, and even heard that universities library overflows with knowledge seekers even after midnight.
Looking back even in 2014 there was an attempt by the government to malign JNU. This time the Government has overlooked the practicality of raising fees and used it as rues to suppress what it wants, takeover and crush a seat of Left-leaning liberalism and that it’s proponents dismiss as despicable clan called “JNU” type. Particularly malign a University that bears the name of India’s first PM, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Now that a committee has been formed by the Centre to look into the impasse over fee hike, a noble way should be found to address the concerns of those students who are financially not able to pay their fees.
It was unfortunate that Delhi police used brutal force against number Of students from JNU who participated in the protest march to parliament, the other day, demanding total rollback, as the students are of the view that two in five boarders can not afford this 300 percent hike at a stretch and it would hamper the aspirations of the young. This will further make education a commodity only for the rich and for the higher middle class. While it must be accepted that a reasonable fee hike is needed, it must also be ensured that the once highly reputed institution is not divested of its original purpose.
JNU is renowned internationally for its quality knowledge product and its research. It has produced this years' Nobel Prize Winner too. But, ironically, even he was jailed for protesting back in the day.
Our country's cabinet secretary, Foreign secretary, and chiefs of the internal&external intelligence agencies were all former JNU students. The present Finance Minister and Foreign Minister also went to JNU.
Besides nurturing personal and intellectual freedoms by teachers and students, and even heard that universities library overflows with knowledge seekers even after midnight.
Looking back even in 2014 there was an attempt by the government to malign JNU. This time the Government has overlooked the practicality of raising fees and used it as rues to suppress what it wants, takeover and crush a seat of Left-leaning liberalism and that it’s proponents dismiss as despicable clan called “JNU” type. Particularly malign a University that bears the name of India’s first PM, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Now that a committee has been formed by the Centre to look into the impasse over fee hike, a noble way should be found to address the concerns of those students who are financially not able to pay their fees.
