Students Pledge News Dt – 23rd June 2022 – Lakshadweep administration’s Directorate of Education has banned all kind of protests like “strikes, dharnas, gherao, processions etc.” on school and college campuses in the Union territory through an official order in the wake of recent student strikes which demanded basic facilities for students in various institutions under the administration. Sri. Sourav Ghosh, General Secretary of AIDSO demanded immediate withdrawal of the circular as it denies democratic rights of the students to organise and raise their voice against injustice.
AIDSO observes that Lakshadweep islands are facing an acute shortage of teachers and students were protesting for better facilities and labs. Protests were happening at Minicoy Government Polytechnic College because the institution does not have lab facilities and enough teachers. The administration cracked down on the student protests in the ITI college using police force recently. At a B.Ed college in Kadmat island, the principal resigned and left. The college is not provided with regular teachers or study materials. The administration is not trying to address the reason behind the students protests.
Without providing enough teachers, the administration is curtailing the ‘right to education’ of students. Anyone following the situation in Lakshadweep will know that this is not an isolated incident. This is the latest in a series of attacks on the democratic rights of the people of Lakshadweep by the administration, added Sourav Ghosh. He called upon the entire student community to stand by the side of students of Lakshadweep and strengthen their fight to protect democratic rights.
