SFI meeting begins, students protest against ‘erosion’ of education system

Students attend SFI rally in Visakhapatnam on Monday. Cultural artists and drummers led the procession from Vemana Mandiram to Gurajada Kalakshetram. | Photo credit: IN PARADISE

A three-day meeting of the National Executive Committee of the Students Federation of India (SFI) began in Visakhapatnam on Monday. Students took part in a rally demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and raised slogans in support of public education. The rally culminated in a public meeting at Gurajada Kalakshetram in Siripuram.

Addressing a gathering of students, SFI All India General Secretary Srijan Bhattacharya said the BJP-led Center had presided over massive “leaks” in examinations and education funding over the past decade, with 1.20 lakh government schools closed nationwide and cuts in mid-day meals, scholarships and bursaries.

He further alleged that the RSS agenda was being introduced in Andhra Pradesh after Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s alliance with the BJP, posing a threat to the state’s education sector. Speakers highlighted teacher vacancies in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, privatization of industrial training institutes in West Bengal and cuts in higher education funding in Assam.

SFI All India President Adarsh ​​M. Saji said the organization had staged over 800 protests in 24 states against irregularities in the NEET and CBSE exams and mistakes by the National Testing Agency, with nearly 1,000 students detained and 16 jailed. He alleged that more than 22 million students were affected by the NEET shortage and 16 million students by CBSE’s assessment errors, and alleged that the subsequent suicide of 21 students amounted to “government murders”. He further said that the Andhra Pradesh government, aligned with the Centre, has failed to address these issues.

Published – 13 Jul 2026 21:33 IST