In a statement issued on Tuesday, the SFI noted that the budget announced a scheme to provide a one-time payment of ₹50,000 to female students upon their admission to undergraduate courses. An allocation of ₹1,000 crore has been made for this scheme, meaning 200,000 female students will benefit from it. However, 365,000 female students passed the Higher Secondary examination in the last academic year. The SFI has raised the question of whether more than 150,000 female students will be deprived of this scheme.
Pranay Karjee and Debanjan Dey, the President and Secretary of the organization’s West Bengal state committee, have raised questions regarding the allocation for higher education. They point out that the allocation has been increased from ₹6,594 crore in the previous term to ₹7,129 crore. It has also been announced that 50,000 teachers and professors will be recruited; however, if even 5,000 professors are appointed, the increased allocation will be consumed by salary expenses.
The central policy of gradually turning education into a commodity—thereby pushing children from poor families away from that sphere—is evident in every line of this budget.
Prices have skyrocketed, yet lower- and middle-class people are somehow managing to scrape by. In this market of soaring costs, even thinking about daily nutritional needs has become a luxury. Against this backdrop, the per-student allocation for mid-day meals has seen only a nominal increase. The SFI demanded on Wednesday that the mid-day meal budget be raised based on nutritional requirements.
There are several inconsistencies regarding the funds allocated to the education sector in the budget. The SFI raised a few questions in this regard during a press conference today. They demanded that the mid-day meal budget be increased by specifically earmarking funds for nutrition, asserting that handing over this responsibility to private agencies is actually an ominous sign.
SFI State Secretary Debanjan Dey, President Pranay Karjee, and South 24 Parganas District Secretary Rijurekh Dasgupta were present at the press conference.
Pranay Karjee stated, “The budgetary allocation for education made by the state’s BJP government is nothing but an eyewash for the students. The allocated amount does not align with the needs of the vast majority of students in the state. This budget is just like the tall tales Mamata Banerjee spun back in 2011.”
Debanjan Dey stated, “This budget is controlled by the RSS and steered by the BJP. Government schools were supposed to receive 40 percent of the funds allocated for infrastructure development through PSCRI. However, there has been no mention of which schools will receive the funds, which ones will be excluded, or what course of action is available to those left out.” He further alleged that regarding higher education, the ₹1,000 crore due to Jadavpur University was not released; apart from a mention of ₹200 crore, the budget remains silent on this matter.Many universities lack adequate faculty, and as a result, they are struggling to survive. The allocated funds would be exhausted simply by recruiting 5,000 teachers; there is no provision for a budget that reasonably meets actual requirements.
According to him, the budget contains no provision for increasing allocations for the ‘Oasis’ scheme for tribal communities. There is also no mention of investment for the development of government engineering colleges. The state government’s budget lacks any roadmap for the overall development of the education sector. Instead of developing existing institutions, the BJP is planning to shut down even foreign-affiliated madrasas.Budget allocations are being reduced due to a divisive mindset. At the same time, the budget for the mid-day meal scheme needs to be increased by specifically earmarking funds for nutrition. Responsibilities are being handed over to private organizations. Attempts are being made to alter dietary habits and launch an assault on culture and heritage. As he put it, “In reality, the RSS is trying to control the taste of the palate.”
Debanjan Dey alleged that ISKCON has failed to meet nutritional standards. He described the awarding of the contract without a government tender as an ominous sign. He questioned what would happen to the cooks employed under self-help schemes now that the responsibility for mid-day meals is being handed over to the private sector. The SFI demanded the withdrawal of this unethical, illegal, and reprehensible move.
Meanwhile, Debanjan Dey further stated, “The government remains silent on the issue of student union elections. The ABVP is attempting to establish dominance across campuses. A free and fair election process must be ensured, and election guidelines must be published. Additionally, audit reports must be presented; even though the Higher Education Minister has remained tight-lipped on this matter, these reports must be made available in the public domain.”
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