Gadchiroli Dec. 7 (City Reporter) The present government is working in the direction of enforcing its agenda of keeping away backward students from education. Even in the National Education Policy, privatization has been prioritized which is totally against the principle of universalization of education. All the like-minded people of the country are therefore needed to come together and thwart this evil design of the ruling class, said Mr. Ramesh Bijekar, noted educationist and Convenor of Shala Bachao Samiti and Satyashodhak Books.
He was speaking at the meeting of the Shikshan Bachao Samiti at Sanvidhan Sabhagriha here on Wednesday evening. Mr. Prabhakar Gedam, social worker, presided over the meeting while Dr. Rakesh Gawture from Chandrapur was the chief guest.
Mr. Bijekar further said that a massive economic agenda is hidden behind the privatization and corporatization of education. The lands of school buildings situated at the prime location of the cities, which were donated by our fore fathers, will be captured and sold by these corporate houses to make handsome money. The doors of education will be closed for the poor students as education will become a very expensive commodity that will be out of reach of the comman people from the backward classes, he warned.
The so-called merger of the schools with less attendance is nothing but a conspiracy of closing down the schools and deprive the students of their basic right of education, Bijekar pointed out. This will also snatch away the process of social get together and exchange of ideas, he added. The government’s claim that quality of education is be affected in the schools with low attendance is also totally wrong because effective teaching can be done in the classes with minimum attendance, he stated.
The policy of the government is not limited just to lock the schools, it is aimed at keeping the backwards deprived of knowledge, Bijekar alleged and called upon the people to oppose this anti people stand.
Dr. Gawture explained the ill effects of closing down schools and called upon the people to attend the Shikshan Parishad at Chandrapur on Dec. 17 next. Dr. Gedam appealed for coming together of all the progressive organizations to save education.
A book ‘Jagache Dnyanpeeth-Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’ was also distributed on the occasion at the hands of the guests.
Mr. Dharmanand Meshram made an introductory speech, Mr. Devendra Sonpipre conducted the programme and also proposed the vote of thanks. Dr. Santosh Suradkar, Vijay Deotale, Hansraj Undirwade, Lahuji Ramteke and many others attended the meeting.
