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STUDENTS' FEDERATION OF INDIA .

21.01.04.

RESIST UGC'S BLACK 'MODEL ACT'!STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH FEDCUTA STRIKE!Friends,The Federation of Central University Teachers' Association (FEDCUTA) has called for a striketomorrow to prot~st against the. UGC's attempts_ to impose a retrograde 'Model Act for 21 st CenturyUniversities in lndta' and the vanous attempts be1ng by the UGC to curb the autonomy of universities..

The SFI stands in solidarity with FEDCUTA's call and appeals to all members of the universitycommunity to make it a success.The proposed Model Act-a concept paper on which was circulated to different universities late .

last year-represents an attempt by the NDA government to give statutory legitimacy to its policy ofruthless privatization and commercialization of. higher e_ducation in our country. The concept papermakes it clear that the government would contmue to wtthdraw resources from higher education anduniversities would have to raise resources to become "self-sufficient". The implication is clear-furtherfee-hikes and user charges which would exclude a large section of potential students from access tohigher education. By making the carrying out of corporate-sponsored research and consultancy projectspart of the functions of a university, the Act seeks to force universities to become dependent on the private sector at the cost of their academic autonomy. In fact, the Act proposes to create a post ofPro-V. C. who would be chosen not on the basis of academic competence but on the basis of hisbusiness experience and who would be responsible for "resource mobilization''.The UGC's 'model' under NDA rule is the IMF-World Bank's vision of turning higher educationinto a sphere of profit-making by domestic and international capital, ultimately opening up the educationsector for MNCs under GATS. The Government has already declared its allegiance to this vision in theBirla-Ambani report authored by the representatives of two of the largest monopoly houses of ourcountry. Implementation of this fundamentally undemocratic vision has as its corollary growingauthoritarianism on university campuses. Most students in our country lack even the basic rights toassociate and elect representatives and student protests have been brutally repressed. The UGC.

'sModel Act formalizes this denial of democratic rights by proposing "depoliticisation of the campus for ahealthy academic environment" and recommending that Executive Councils which are the highestdecision-making bodies of universities-be reconstituted as completely nominated bodies with noelected representatives at all.The UGC's slavish implementation of the IMF-WB's dictates is also evident in its attempt to coverup the withdrawal of adequate educational facilities by urging universities to expand distance education.It adds insult to injury by recommending that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) ratherthan 'old-fashioned' correspondence courses be used to impart this distance educatio...rl'.

. t a time when.

the Government's anti-people economic policies are depriving a vast majority of ~people of ourcountry even the basic means of livelihood. -...The attempt to replace the different university Acts with a anti-student neo-libs.J Model Act ispart of the HRD Ministry's larger project to curb the autonomy of institutions of higher education. Apartfrom using its financial powers to coerce policy making, the UGC has been forcing universities to obtain .

(' accreditation-a process that not only forces universities to toe the HRD Ministry)s line in order to obtain .

c,., a good rating but which has also shown immense potential for grossest corruption and misuse. Now, thev UGC is trying to force Central universities to admit students to professional and technical coursesv through a common admission test. This would be a particularly retrograde step ifllle case of universities c, that have developed their own democratic admission policies. This has already happened in AMU, in thecase of which the HRD Ministry's attempt is to tamper with its unique character as a minority institution.The UGC has also been trying to bring admission to the MCA course of our university under a commonadmission test, thereby subverting the JNU admission policy.

's provisions for students from socially and.

regionally deprived sections.We appeal to all progressive and democratic-minded members of the academic community tounite against the UGC'.

s policy of privatization and commercialization and join the struggle for a higher.

education system which is democratic both in terms of access and content. .

STUDENT-TEACHER-KARMACHARI UNITY LONG LIVE!Sd/-.

Sd/-Parimal Maya Sudhakar Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya.

Vice Presider1t, JNU-SFI President, JNU-SFI .

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JAWAHARI AI 20.02.04 .

ALL INDIA STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION AISA .

MakeJNU Bandh ol24Feb.bV JNUSU aSuccess IJoinUnited MarchalHRD MinistrY 11AgalnstPrivatlsauoo and Saffroolsatlon and ModelAct WTO Dictates that by 2005, India must turn education into a tradeable commodity under the Public Meeting The Special Subject Group{Consisting of Mukesh Ambanrand Kumaramangalam Birla) Of Prime .

WTO, Education GATS {General Agreement on Trade in Services) And .

The Assault Blrla-Ambani Report tabled in 2000 openly proposed the following : Minister's Council On Trade And Industry prepared a blueprint to fulfill the need. This Of "Govt. should progressively reduce funding for Universities" "Govt. must leave higher and professional education to the private sector" .

Model Act "Impose Common Admission Tests" The Model Act proposes to introduce "CORPORATE CULTURE" and "COMMERCIAL.

Speakers "Ban all political activity on campuses" .

UGC'sModel Act of 2003 is nothing but an attempt to impose the above strictures! .

Prof.Arun Kumar CESP,JNU defines the role of the Pro-VC as having "experience of business/finance, to take charge of .

CULTURE" in the universities [p5 of the Executive Summary of the Model Act Proposal]. It Prof. Deepak Kumar financial support from the Govt.)" [p1 0, ibid]. Model Act's Proposal of Depoliticisation of resource generation and related aspects {particularly important in the context of diminishing .

ZHCES,JNU .

campuses is nothing but a ploy to disarm and destroy the right ofstudents-teachers-karamcharis Prof. Dinesh Mohan liT.

I to strike back against privatisatonl In short, the Model Act proposed by the UGC is the most shoddy move by the BJP Govt. to obey commodity, leading to rampant privatization and commercialisation ofeducation. instructions from the WTO and To "reform" education in India into another tradable .

Sutlej Mess .

20.02.04 (Tonight) Friends, Will MNCs and Blrta-Ambanl dictate our universities? Will Ojhasteach us Human .

9.30 PM Sacrifice' in the name of science? Sd/-Rajesh Ranjan, Jt.Secy.. AISA. JNU .

Ifwe don't protest now, tomorrow may be too late! .

Sd/-Mona Oas, President, AISA. JNU .

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