SFI demands more seats in HS and degree courses, rollback of UGC notice

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, June 28: Members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) staged demonstration at Dighalipukhuripar in the city today demanding increase in the number of seats in the colleges in Assam and cancellation of, what it said, the anti-teacher notification issued by the UGC.

In a statement issued to the press today, the State Committee of the SFI said that students in the State had to face problems due to lack of adequate number of seats in the colleges for HS and degree courses. “This is year also, it is apprehended that around 1.17 lakh students in the State may be deprived of admission in any colleges in the State. Students securing 70-75 per cent marks also cannot get their mes enrolled in any colleges. In such a situation, the State Government should improve educatiol infrastructure and increase the number of seats in the colleges of the State, besides employing more teachers. The need of the hour is to set up new colleges and universities, and introducing job-oriented courses in them. Taking this into account, we demand of the State Government to allocate 30 per cent funds in education in the annual Budget,” the statement said.

“This apart, on May 10, 2016, UGC issued a notification giving more burdens on teachers, besides posing a threat to abolish posts of contractual teachers. Delhi University opposed the notification as around 4,000 posts of contractual teachers may get abolished there in the university. We also opposed the UGC’s decision to cut 55 per cent of its funds. At a time when colleges in the Northeast have been facing serious cash crunch, such a decision on the part of the UGC will only aggravate the situation,” the statement added.

Over 100 SFI members from lower Assam took part in the demonstration. They took out a procession from Dighalipukhuripar to the office of the deputy commissioner, Kamrup (M). They submitted memoranda addressed to the Human Resources Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani and the Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma through the Deputy Commissioner.