MADURAI
The Union government’s move to dismantle University Grants Commission and instead constitute a new Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) was strongly condemned at the conference on education organised by All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO) here on Friday.
The speakers at the conference said that formation of HECI will only lead to further commercialisation and privatisation of education in the country, thereby making quality education unaffordable and unattainable to those from downtrodden sections of the society.
S.H. Thilagar, Convenor, All India Save Education Committee, blamed the BJP-led government for systematically dismantling the higher education system in the country with a number of measures like imposing National Eligibility-cum Entrance Test (NEET) and introduction of HECI.
V.N. Rajasekar, national vice-president, AIDSO, spoke on the need for students to engage with issues affecting weaker sections of the society apart from their academic pursuits.
R. Murali, State secretary, People's Union for Civil Liberties (Tamil Nadu and Puducherry), advocated the necessity for strengthening democracy in educational institutions through elections for student bodies and providing platforms for students in colleges to read and discuss a range of issues that are of importance to the society.
The conference also appealed for the repealing of no-detention policy till Class 8 in Tamil Nadu schools, which, according to a majority of the speakers, had led to degradation of quality in education.
