– Shakilur Rahman
New Delhi, Feb. 21: The Students Islamic Organization of India (SIO) has released Students-Manifesto at the Press Club of India here. The students-manifesto aims to address critical issues affecting education, minorities and social welfare in India. SIO National President Ramees EK along with national secretaries of the organization Abdullah Faiz and Dr. Roshan Mohiuddin addressed the media and shared details of the manifesto.
SIO wants to make these demands the central issue in the upcoming general elections 2024.
At the press conference, SIO leadership talked about the worrying trends in India’s educational landscape. Despite an overall literacy rate of 74.04%, which is much below the world average of 86.3%, many states are barely able to surpass the national level.
Ramees expressed deep concern over the shutting up of key educational schemes for religious minorities by the center and reducing expenditure on programs under the Minorities Ministry. He also asserted unease over reduction of education budget share to 2.9% of GDP, which is much lower than the 6% allocated by National Education Policy 2020. He pointed to the glaring difference between India’s allocation of 2.1% of GDP and countries like Japan, Canada and France, which allocate about 10% to public healthcare.
Ramees further said unemployment is now one of the biggest problems in India. Addressing the conference, he imparted that the Prime Minister’s Office, in a written reply to a question in Parliament, said that till March 1, 2023, about 10 lakh posts were vacant in all the ministries. However, the government is not serious about filling the vacant posts in universities and ministries. He alleged that there is widespread corruption and inefficiency in the examinations and appointment processes.
Citing National Crime Records Bureau figures, he said suicide is the leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 30, with an average of 34 students taking their own lives every 42 minutes.
Addressing the worrying state of dropout rate among Muslim students, Dr. Roshan Mohiuddin emphasized that the Institute of Objective Studies has reported a 23.1% dropout rate, which is higher than the national average of 18.96%. The enrollment of Muslim students declined to 4.6% in the academic year 2020-21 from 5.5% in 2019-20. Dr. Roshan also highlighted the distressing erosion of academic liberty, as reflected in India’s bottom position among 179 countries in the Academic Freedom Index prepared by the V-Dem Institute.
Abdullah Faiz, citing Amnesty International and DOTO databases, pointed to the sharp increase in hate crimes and urged immediate attention to protect life and withstand religious discrimination. He said students and youth are the largest voter group in this country and political parties should specifically cater to their needs and demands while seeking votes. He informed that the manifesto is asking political parties to invest in the country’s future. He stressed that students and youth strongly demand a concrete election manifesto that guarantees accessible and quality education, employment, peace and a safe environment.
The Students-manifesto addresses the following points:
- A fair, equitable and reasonable reservation system be arranged to ensure equal opportunities for all.
- Special attention be given to socio-economically backward districts and focus be given to the upliftment of marginalized areas for balanced development.
- Rohit Act be implemented and justice and safety be ensured in educational institutions for students.
- Maulana Azad National Fellowship be restored and scholarships for minorities be increased. Minority students be financially assisted for equal access to education.
- Anti-discrimination law be made so that a society becomes free from discrimination and prejudice.
- Stringent personal data protection laws and privacy charter be enacted to protect people’s privacy and data.
- A fund of Rs.1000 crore be given for environmental schemes and sustainable development-related activities.
- Giving priority to the holistic development of youth, health and mental wellness centers be established across India.
- Keeping the commitment to accessible education for all, free and compulsory education be ensured from primary to university level.
- Employment Guarantee Act be brought to pave the way for job security and opportunities for the youth of the country.
