Students will have to unite, organize and strive to solve their issues of fee hike, free education and students unions. It was said by Najeeb Balochi, a student of LEADS University while addressing a Youth Convention organized by Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) on Saturday. The theme of the convention included, “Fees Must End, Employment for All and Restore Students Unions”.
Hundreds of students participated in the event. The main organizer of the event, Rai Asad said that the participation was effected as the booking of scheduled venue, PILAC Hall Qaddafi Stadium, was cancelled by the administration at the eleventh hour. This was the second time it was done so. Last time, Aiwan-e-Iqbal Hall’s booking was also cancelled. He said that the cancellation of hall for event of a peaceful students’ organization expressed the administrations false claims to address the students’ issues.
The students also raised slogans in demand of free education. The hall kept on resonating with the slogans, “Taleem ka karobar band kro”, “Muft taleem hamara haq hai”, Tulaba union bahal karo”, “Students are not customers, universities are not shops”.
Muhammad Idrees a student of NUML University criticized HEC cuts. He said that universities minted money from them but facilitates are not being provided. The students were deliberately being kept away from politics. “Actual politics is struggling for rights and not what our rulers are doing,” he said.
Najeeb Baloch said that education is state’s responsibility. However, students are being treated as sheep and cats. Akhtar Munir, a young revolutionary poet recited revolutionary poetry and said that your participation was a witness to the fact that administrations suppression of students can not deter them from struggling for their rights.
Waqas Ahmad a student of Global University said that he came to Lahore four years back with high dreams in his eyes. Four years back, he came to know that his university is not ratified by HEC. Later on during a campaign by PYA for free education few months back.
He asked the other students to unite for their rights. Sohail Rathore, a student of Punjab University criticized recent statement by the government that students were violent. This was not the first time, students were tagged like this. First dictator Ayub Khan, Zulfiqar Bhutto and others had also held these views. He said that students were the vibrant layer of the society. It was the fourth generation that they are being depoliticized. He said that we are living in a revolutionary period. There were worldwide movements for rights.
He said that students of Pakistan were also being radicalized at a fast pace. He criticized lack of facilities at Punjab University that merit seats were not increased at all in the largest university where 60000 students were studying at a moment. Rather than increasing seats, at least 32 programs have been banned. Fees were being increased day by day, education had become business and universities, the shops.
