AGARTALA, Dec 27 (TIWN): On the day of “Jana-Shiksha” Diwas, CPI-M leaders have hit the BJP Govt on its negligence to the important issues like Education and focusing on problematic “divisional” politics just to rule the country under “Divide & Rule” policy. Ex-CM Manik Sarkar said that the BJP Govt is exactly following the British method of ruling the country with various destructive policies like CAA, NRC. Sarkar said Govt schools’ shutdown is aimed to fulfill their divisional policy’s success ultimately as Education is the key of mass awareness. Manik Sarkar hinted that in the name of protest against CAA, all attacks and violence were backed by the BJP from behind via its ally IPFT. Former MP, Gana Mukti Parishad President Jitendra Choudhury said that the BJP Govt has not only attacked the Education system by introducing non-technical stuffs in Technical Colleges but also moving fast for ‘privatization of Education’. He condemned Govt’s decision of shutting down of Govt schools in Tripura including 40 schools in the ADC area.

Shutting down of 961 schools’ decision was taken by BJP Govt when thousands of unemployed youths are roaming jobless even after qualifying the TET Examination.

Instead of recruiting teachers and staffs to mitigate the massive unemployment rate, Govt has taken decision to minimize numbers of schools and thus decade-long struggles of common men which constructed 961 schools across hills and plain areas of Tripura were announced to shutdown, which is another black-history painted by the BJP Govt by three factors losses to the common men.

The 98% literacy rate holding state Tripura has observed “Jana-Siksha Diwas”, however, with the Govt changed the programme was stopped at Govt level whereas the Communist Party has continued the programme since 2018 alone. From hilly, poverty gripped state, Tripura today has turned successfully the highest literacy rate holding state in Tripura, with massive politically aware.

History’s slice on Jana-Siksha-Movement : On 27th December, 1945, a group of 11 educated tribal youths formed the historic Janashiksha Samity with Dasaratha Debbarma as its vice-president. Within a few months of its inception, it established no less than 400 schools in tribal-dominated hills and villages. The educated and moderately educated tribal youths were appointed as teachers. The villagers constructed school buildings, provided accommodation and food, and paid minimal allowance to the teachers. Subsequently, the tribal people in their large numbers came out in support of Janashiksha Samity. Alongside establishment of news schools, the leaders of Janashiksha Samity raised demand for recognition of these schools by the royal administration. They submitted a deputation to Mr Brown, a retired British Army Officer who was the then education minister of the king’s administration. After visiting many schools founded by the Samity, Mr Brown accorded recognition to 300 of these schools. Naturally, Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Debbarman got very much annoyed with his education minister for according recognition to these schools and Mr Brown had to resign and leave the state.