A Thunderbolt from the sky..A thunderbolt that could make change.A Thunderbolt that will tear apart the black clouds of imperialism and communalism that had covered India.Yes change is inevitable..Change will Come..
Fed up with the despicable condition of roads in Panjimogaru area, the members of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) alleged that the administration has neglected its duties towards the citizens by not undertaking repair works.
Staging an agitation in front of the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) building here on Monday August 16, DYFI district president Muneer Katipalla informed that commuting in Panjimogaru has become a nightmare as the road is full of potholes and there is not even a footpath for pedestrians.
Though a few of the roads have been repaired, the work done was inferior and already they are full of potholes, he said, and added that despite increasing tax some time ago, the administration has not paid attention to the needs of the residents of the area.
He also added that the drains are blocked and damaged, further worsening the condition of the road. But the administration has been turning a blind eye to the citizens' misery and is instead busy concreting the main roads of the city, he alleged.
DYFI district secretary Dayananda Shetty and others were present at the protest.
An All-India Convention on Education was held in New Delhi on 13th August 2010. Organizations of Students, Teachers, University Employees, Youth, People’s Science Movements and Parents participated in the convention. Ritabrata Banerjee All India General Secretary of SFI moved the draft resolution on behalf of all the organizations at the beginning of the Convention. This Convention was addressed by Comrade Sitaram Yechury, Comrade D Raja, Comrade Abani Roy and Dr Barun Mukherjee along with leaders off all organizations which were participating. The Higher Education Minister of West Bengal Sudarshan Roy Chowdhury, Professor Prabhat Patnaik, Vice Chairman Kerala Planning Board and Professor Soumen Chattopadhyay from JNU also addressed the Convention. The Convention resolved to strengthen the struggle against the education policies of the UPA II Government and make it more board based.
The draft resolution which was adopted in the Convention resolved to launch a National Forum in Defense of Education and hold a massive rally on December 2 in Delhi.
The Convention adopted the following resolution:
This National Convention of Students, Teachers, University Employees, Parents, Youth and Science Movements expresses its resolve to fight against the anti-people policies of UPA II Government in the field of education. These policies are aimed at pushing commercialization, centralisation and privatization of the education sector in the country. Such policies will undermine the goal of expansion, excellence and equity in education which can only be achieved through increased public spending based on a democratic education policy. This convention upholds the following demands:
·Allocate 6% of GDP for Education as committed in the CMP of the UPA-1 Government.
·Include pre-primary to senior Secondary education under the purview of the Right to Education. Central Government should bear all the expenditure for implementing the Right to Education. Increase the number of schools along with strong social monitoring mechanism involving local stake holders.
·Recruit quality teachers on a permanent basis. Remove the freeze on appointments and cuts in teaching and non-teaching positions.
·Oppose handing over of public educational institutions’ infrastructure and management to the private sector in the name of Public Private Partnerships.
·Reject fee hike. Fully subsidize students from economically backward and disadvantaged backgrounds.
·Enact a central legislation to bring all private self-financing institutions under strict social control.
·Implement constitutionally mandated SC/ST/OBC reservations in all educational institutions.
·Fight all attempts to undermine the democratic control of the Parliament, State Assemblies and statutory structures of Universities and colleges (including through instruments like NCHER). Fight against centralization of education.
·Oppose FDI in Education.
·Scrap the FEI Bill and suitably amend the other recently introduced bills.
·Scrap private universities and deemed university status to private institutions.
·Use Information Technology for Distance Education to provide universal lifelong quality education. Do not commercialize distance education.
·Undertake Assessment for improvement not Accreditation or Funding. Evolve a democratic and transparent mechanism for Assessment.
·Uphold democratic rights in the sphere of education. Hold elections for Students’ Unions, Teaching and Non-Teaching Associations. Provide elected representation in all decision making bodies.
This Convention resolves to launch NATIONAL FORUM IN DEFENCE OF EDUCATION. This Convention gives a clarion call to hold a massive rally on December 2, 2010 involving all stakeholders like students, teachers, non-teaching employees and officers of schools, colleges & universities, youth, parents, people’s science movement in order to force the Central Government to accept the aforesaid demands and related issues. To make this rally a grand success such convention at the level of states, districts and institutions should be organized.
Stop Centralisation, Privatisation and Commercialisation
"SHE", a new generation magazine brought out by SFI Kerala state women subcommitte was released by award winning actress and dancer Lakshmi Gopalaswamy at a function in Thiruvananthapuram. First copy was received by Calicut University Union former chairperson Com P Jiji. SFI state committee member Seethal David presided over the function. SFI All India General Secretary Rithabratha Banerjee, SFI State Secretary P Biju spoke on the occassion. The magazine will be brought out once in 3 months. Other than stories, poems, articles the magazine will be carrying Campus memories, Interviews with leading stars in every field, notes on sports and trendz. SFI Women Subcommittee converner Dhanya Vijayan is the chief Editior of the magazine. SFI Kerala state committee is already bringing out a monthly named Student which is having wide circulation.
Fed up with the despicable condition of roads in Panjimogaru area, the members of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) alleged that the administration has neglected its duties towards the citizens by not undertaking repair works. 
