Students Federation of India (SFI) protest march in Bangalore on Thursday 20th July seeking overhaul of the diploma education system was lathicharged by the police after they refused to allow the students to go to Chief Minister
Jagadish Shettar’s residence. The march began at the Town Hall, but they protesters were stopped by the police in front of Ulsoor Gate police station.
The
agitated students started shouting slogans and sat on the road
demanding permission for the march. When they refused to budge, the
police resorted to lathi-charge. The nine protesters, who were arrested,
were released later. The police, however, said that cases were not
booked against them. Students from 15 colleges in Bangalore, Tumkur,
Hassan, Mysore, Koppal, Mandya, Davangere, Dharwad, Chickballapur and
Mangalore participated in the protest.
The protest
was organised in the wake of the results of various diploma courses by
the Directorate of Technical Education in which more than 60 per cent of
the students had failed, said SFI’s Bangalore district president
Muniraju M. The demands included that the students of
diploma courses be given the option to “carryover” subjects as in
degree courses, replace the “tough” syllabus with an easier one, regular
classes for at least four months, reduction in number of examinations,
bring down fees collected for re-evaluation and issue of photocopies, an
admission process free of donation, besides setting up proper
infrastructure such as library and laboratory in colleges.
They
urged the Directorate of Technical Education to take steps against
commercialisation of education, stopping certification of private
polytechnics and setting up polytechnic institutions by the government
wherever there is a need. “We want a degree system and a change in the
present diploma system. People who join diploma courses come from poor
backgrounds and they are forced to pay a huge amount as supplementary
examination fees,” said, Jeeva J., SFI district joint secretary.
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