Mid Day Meal Workers come out on Streets

Patna, September 19:

The governments –whether Central or provincial- are paying less attention to education, especially primary education. It is manifesting through the attitude of governments towards mid-day-meal workers who are engaged in cooking food for students in primary and middle schools. In Bihar they are paid very law wages. They are not provided even minimum wage fixed by the government for an unskilled labour. This is such a province where a government is running in the name of good governance and now the Chief Minister Jitan Ram Majhi himself comes from dalit community. It may be mentioned that most of the mid-day-meal workers are from dalit and poor families. The mid-day-meal workers in Bihar get only Rs. 1000 per month, according to which per day wage is about 33 rupees. While per day minimum wage fixed by the government is Rs.188 for an unskilled labour. It is evident that the government itself trampling its own rules and in this respect the government may be termed as criminal. The tragedy is that they are paid only for 10 months, while they render their services for the whole year.  Not only this, they have to do many other works like sweeping, cleaning of drains, urinals and toilets with cooking. 

Along with the dark side of the story a ray of silver lining is also there. The wave of consciousness has grown among them and they formed their own organization, the instrument of struggle. They started organizing under they banner of Bihar Rajya Madhyanha Bhojan Karmi Sangh which is affiliated to central trade union the AIl India United Trade Union Centre. They resolved to lunch movement to press their various demands and planned to demonstrate before CM of Bihar. 

 On 19th September 2014 a huge procession decorated with flags and festoons was taken out from Gandhi Maidan. Thousands of mid day meal workers from different districts of the state participated in the procession. They were shouting thunderous slogs like provide mid day meal workers the status of government employees, provide minimum wage fixed by the government, make necessary the attendance register in schools for them, provide leave with wage, make free them from all the works except cooking food, stop disciplinary actions without asking show cause, stop cooking food by NGOs in urban areas. 

After reaching R- Block the huge procession was converted into a massive rally. Addressing  the huge gathering of mid day meal workers Pramod Kumar, President, Bihar Rajya Madhyanha Bhojan Karmi Sangh and Secretary, AIl India United Trade Union Centre, Bihar State Committee, “ In spite of all tall talks about growth and process both the governments- central and state- are implementing anti people and pro rich policies. The mid day meal workers have to intensify their struggle to achieve their demands. ” Among others Punit Ray, General Secretary, Bihar Rajya Madhyanha Bhojan Karmi Sangh, Dharmendra Kumar, Rampukar Vidyarthi, Umashankar Verma, Rupesh Kumar also addressed while Ashok Kumar Singh presided over the meeting. A seven member delegation submitted a memorandum to CM. In spite of heavy showers the participants were full of confidence of their unity and getting  resolved for higher form of struggle.

Massive Students Rally in Patna

Patna, September 10:

The government of our country has been following the policy of curtailment of the scope of education since independence. This policy is continued till today adding more fuel of making it a saleable commodity. Privatization and commercialization of education have snatched the right of getting education for the whole community of students in general and students from lower and middle class families in particular. The foundation of education from its primary level is being destroyed by introducing grading system and abolishing pass-fail system. This is not the all. Sex education at school level is being introduced and obscure films and literatures are being propagated as well in order to break the backbone of the students. Following the same anti education policy of the union government the Bihar government is also shrinking the responsibility of proving education to its students. The state government is failing miserably in fulfilling the basic necessities of educational institutions. The attacks are being mounted on democratic rights of the students. The rights of students to re-evaluate the answer scripts are abolished. The sessions of almost all the universities are irregular. Educational institutions are facing acute crisis of teachers, non teaching staffs, toilets, laboratories, libraries and hostels. Semester system is being introduced in colleges in order to destroy the analytical and logical minds of the students. Education has gone out of the reach of the common students by enhancing the fees at all levels. The All India Democratic Students Organization (AIDSO) has been waging struggle against all these anti education policies and moves since its inception. The Bihar State Committee of the organization has taken the issues to the students and tried to make them aware of the attacks on education. The organization planned to hold a massive demonstration of students before Governor of Bihar and submit its charter of demands.

Following institutional and local level movements the All India Committee has called a protest week from 10 September to 17 September. Responding to this call the Bihar State Committee has organized a massive students demonstration on 10 September in Patna.  Students from almost all the universities of the state and different districts paraded the streets of the capital with thundering slogans against anti education policies of the government. The huge procession reached at R-Block after traversing the main thoroughfare of the city. In spite of rain the well decorated, disciplined procession and the militant slogan of the students caught the attention of the commuters. 

Addressing the gathering at R-Block, Ashok Mishra, General Secretary, AIDSO, said, “ The promise by PM Narendra Modi to bring good days through strengthening the quality of education is totally in vain. This government is executing the policies of the previous Congress led UPA government more cunningly under the garb of high sounding catchy slogans. More than 9 lakhs teacher posts at primary and more than 60 per cent teacher posts at higher education are lying vacant since long. Due to the acute crisis of teachers the teaching-learning system is totally jeopardized.  The Modi government manifested its criminal negligence towards it. This government can allocate two hundred crore rupees to build the statue of Sardar Ballav Bhai Patel but for education allocation is less than two per cent of GDP. This government is not ready to tolerate an iota of scientific, secular and democratic education.  The most unscientific, obscurantist, communal, raciest and outdated discourse of Dinanath Batra, a RSS ideologue is being implemented in Gujrat and PM Narendra Modi has declared to introduce this course in whole country. At the same time the fascistic attack is intensified on the democratic rights of the students and teaching community. The respective state governments are following the same path, Bihar is not exception. But braving the attack of police, para military forces and the administration backed hooligans the students of the entire country are bursting forth in militant movements.”  In this regard Shri Mishra congratulated the brave students of Patna University whose heroic movement has rocked the whole country. To save education student movement on the edifice of higher culture is the only alternative before the students. He urged the students to build up might and sustained movements and to strengthen the only revolutionary student organization the AIDSO.

Among others Gopal Sahu, Vice President, All India Committee, Anil Kumar, Secretary, Bihar State Committee, Vikash Kumar, Vice President,  Bihar State Committee, Raushan Kumar, Secretariat Member, Bihar State Committee, Lal Kumar from Darbhanga, Ashutosh Kumar and Shivchandra Paswan from Muzaffarpur, Saroj Kumar Suman from Patna and Deepak Kumar from Arwal also spoke on the occasion. Later on a ten member delegation led by Anil Kumar, Secretary, Bihar State Committee submitted a memorandum to the Governor.