Students from vulnerable communities in Uttar Pradesh set to lose access to technical education after the proposed steep hike in fees.
Abdul Alim Jafri
Lucknow: Students of Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) across Uttar Pradesh are up in arms against the Yogi Adityanath government’s decision to convert 40 ITIs, running on government aid, into private institutions.
There are over 3,303 ITIs in Uttar Pradesh, of which 2,931 are already in the private sector, while only 307 are state-owned, of which 12 are meant for only women, as per reports.
The Government Industrial Training Institute (GITI), Gorakhpur, has emerged as the epicentre of the protests. Led by students, parents as well as staff members, protests have been going on for three days now, demanding a roll-back in the decision to privatise.
On Sunday, hundreds of students gathered outside the main gate in different cites and boycotted classes. They said that the government’s decision to turn it is into private colleges, including the renowned GITI, was “unfair” for students from poorer sections.
“The government has transferred many faculty members to government colleges. It is unfair for many students as the fee structure for four courses has been enhanced from Rs 480 to Rs 26,000,” said Abhishek, a student, adding that private education institutions focus more on profits.
As a mark of protest, hundreds of students from aided colleges across the state have also sent postcards to the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Students have been wearing black badges to their classes as well.
There are many other government ITI colleges, such as Government Industrial Training Institute Koraon, Allahabad, Govt ITI Bansdih, Ballia, ITI Takha Etawah and ITI College in Lalganj, Pratapgarh, where protests are likely to be intensified, said some students.
As per reports, privatisation will be done in two phases. In the first phase, 16 ITIs will be handed over to private players, while 24 will be handed over in the second phase. The number of private ITI institutes in Uttar Pradesh is already 10 times more than the government institutions. After this decision, the number of private ITIs will increase even more.
There are over 3,303 ITIs in Uttar Pradesh, of which 2,931 are already in the private sector, while only 307 are state-owned, of which 12 are meant for only women, as per reports.
54-Fold Fee Hike Would Deter Poor Students
A decision to hike the fee has been taken by the state government following a proposal by an ITI panel, As per the decision, students who will enrol in the new session (2020 -21) will have to pay steep fees. The monthly fee of an ITI in Uttar Pradesh was Rs 40, which is Rs 480 annually. But, after privatisation, students will have to deposit Rs 26,000 annually. While, a year-long diploma from a government polytechnic college costs only Rs 11,000. As a result, ITIs in Uttar Pradesh will now be costlier than polytechnic courses, while at a technical level ITI is a level one course.
According to the authorities, privatisation is being done to “improve the training quality”. It is said that after privatisation, students will get a chance to learn new technology through state-of-the-art machines. However, the syllabus of all ITIs will remain the same.
“In an ITI, most of the students come from weaker sections or very poor backgrounds. After privatisation, they won’t afford their education,” Durgesh, a teacher at ITI, Deoria told NewsClick, adding that probably.
“by turning government ITIs into private institutes , the government is trying to professionalise education”.
When asked for the reason behind the steep fee increase, ITI Deputy Director – Training Sunil Srivastava said: “After privatisation, students will get a chance to learn new technology through state-of-the-art machines. The decision to privatise would improve the quality of training. The list of all institutions has been finalised. Admission is expected to begin next season.
The fees increase after privatisation will hit students from economically and socially backward classes the most. Notably, after high school/intermediate, ITI is the cheapest course to get technical education.
Naveen Prajapati, a resident of Ameha village in Gonda district, who passed the intermediate examination this year, said he thought of doing a diploma in civil trade from the Government ITI College the district but that college is now getting privatised, and his father will not be able to afford the fees. “The fees was Rs 40 earlier but after privatisation, it will be around Rs 480. My father is a daily wager in Gujarat and after the pandemic, he returned to the village and is selling vegetables. So, for me, it is not possible to pay the fees.”
Like Naveen, there are thousands of students who may lose access to technical education due to the decision of the Bharatiya Janata party government in UP to privatise ITIs.
Courtesy NewsClick
