Timely intervention of ABVP saved the future of about 70,000 engineering students from uncertainity while other student’s organisations overlooked the issue
T Satisan from Kochi
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishadh (ABVP) has won a students’ struggle in Kerala in connection with the examinations imbroglio in APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (APJAKTU). ABVP’s timely intervention and agitation saved about 70,000 engineering students from the deadly experiment of their lives, absolutely unscientific examination schedules. The success story is a great breakthrough for the nationalist student movement in a state where campuses are always dominated by the politically controlled and politically motivated SFI and KSU, the students’ bodies of CPM and Congress respectively. If at all any space remains vacant, there comes the student groups loyal to some religious groups who always stand for anarchical activities like support to anti-national slogans of JNU, support to terrorist and fissiparous tendencies in Kashmir, etc., support to sexual anarchic programmes like kiss of love, and so on.
| ABVP Kerala state secretary P Shyam Raj was a full time worker of ABVP for few years. He did his B.Tech from Cochin University of Science & Technology (CUSAT), Kochi. He hails from a remote village in the hilly district, Idukki, from a tribal family. Now, he is the Senate Member of CUSAT, the position he won with record votes in the history of university. Shyam Raj spoke to Organiser representative T Satisan against the backdrop of APJAKTU Agitation . Excerpts: |
APJAKTU agitation has landed ABVP in the space it deserves. The issue they took up and solved is of that much dimension and it could affect the future life of thousands of students
and their families. APJAKTU Thiruvananthapuram is a university established by the Government of Kerala a couple of years ago as an umbrella for all technical education colleges other than those run by some universities which are in negligible numbers. On the other hand 153 technical education institutions are affiliated to APJAKTU. But, when such a university set up, bearing the name of an exemplary luminary par excellence, for enriching the engineering educations in the state, moved in wrong direction with programmes jeopardising the future of the students and defeating the very idea behind its existence, ABVP was the only students’ body to come out to fight it out tooth and nail. The whole episode goes like this:
University examinations for first and third semesters were scheduled to begin on December 2, 2016. But, an announcement came on December 1 that examinations were postponed; but there was no clue about the new dates. But, newspapers suggested that the examinations would take place only in January, 2017. When the students set out for further queries, both university and colleges confirmed what newspapers said. Students living abroad and in other states and even in remote places within the state had gone back home by this time. But as a bolt from the blue university announced on December 6 that examinations would commence on December 13! This announcement put the students under heavy pressure. Some students were abroad, some others in other states. Students who have to appear for the supplementary examinations did not have any gap at all in between! A significant matter in this context is too grave: Failing in three subjects will result in year back or year out, that is loss of an academic year. Therefore, the new schedule was a rude injustice to the students.
The aggrieved students approached ABVP leaders with their grievances. ABVP took up the matter and its state secretary P Shyam Raj met the Governor of Kerala on December 8. The next day he met the Vice Chancellor of APJAKTU. For the first time in the history of student activities, the state secretary of a student body interacted with the students online through live chat facility of Facebook. Shyam Raj went live on December 8 and 10. It was a rare experience for the students.
The interaction with the ABVP leader boosted the morale of the students and they geared up for an agitation against the injustice they suffered. On December 10, 11 and 12 ABVP helped the students to organise massive protests throughout the state. ABVP took over the students’ struggle and persuaded the media to report the burning issue; Until then they had been ignoring the issue the students were facing. Then ABVP announced a state-wide education bandh on December 13 and 14. APJAKTU students supported the ABVP’s Education bandh and boycotted their examinations throughout the state. On December 13, the examinations were successfully stopped in 12 campuses. On December 14, it increased to 30 campuses. The authorities were taken by surprise. They were scared of further ABVP interventions to stop the examinations. They were also worried about the increasing public support the agitation was getting. Now, they had no other option than to postpone the examinations to January 2017. This is the great victory of the students’ struggle ABVP spearheaded in Kerala. And, it is the red letter day in the history of ABVP in Kerala.
Even though ABVP was launched in 1966 in Kerala and even though it has participated in some major national
agitations like anti-communal Malappuram District in 1969 and
anti-Emergency movement in 1975-77, victorious struggle for getting justice for the engineering students is the success story of the organisation. And, as its state secretary Shyam Raj rightly said, it is the result of the selfless work of the generations of workers who shed their sweat and blood for the
organisation. Credit goes to thousands of former workers including those who turned martyrs at the feet of the motherland.
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