All India Save Education Committee

ALL INDIA SAVE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
88B, B.B. Ganguly Street, Kolkata- 700012

AISEC All India Committee has issued the following condolence message after the demise of Prof Anis Kumar Ray, General Secretary of AISEC.

Prof. Anish Kumar Ray , General Secretary of the All India Save Education Committee(AISEC), retired Professor of Presidency College, Kolkata and a distinguished educationist breathed his last on 29th November at 6.30 PM at Calcutta Heart Clinic & Hospital after prolonged illness at the age of 79 years.

After the demise of Prof. Gouri Shankar Ghatak, the then General Secretary in November 2014 he became the General Secretary of AISEC and successfully led the organisation for eight years. He was a renowned educationist and ardent fighter for the cause of education. Under his stewardship the AISEC gained strength in states. After the BJP led Union Government announced the Draft National Education Policy (DNEP 2019) and finally adopted the disastrous NEP 2020 on 29th July 2020, the AISEC from the very beginning organised a series of movements. During the COVID 19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown there were a series of online protest programs in which he played a leading role. On a number of occasions, he addressed webinars from the hospital bed taking permission from the attending doctors. Before lockdown he visited different states and inspired the education loving people and teaching community to develop mighty mass movements to save education from this onslaught. In the last all India convention held online on 30-31 October 2021 he was again elected as General Secretary of the AISEC. In May 2022 inspite of his ill health he enthusiastically attended the mass dharna defying the scorching heat of Delhi and inspired the entire gathering. When the Central Government tried to impose Hindi as the sole official language and medium of instruction the AISEC organised an all India webinar on 27 November last. He was a tireless writer with profound knowledge. He could grasp the issues relating to education very promptly. He himself used to pen almost all important documents of AISEC. The stand of the AISEC on language problem was masterly drafted by Prof. Ray inspite of his critical illness. But he couldn’t attend that program as he was then in hospital bed. With his tender, modest and gentle behaviour without any iota of self conciet, he could endear himself and became beloved to all. At his demise, the AISEC lost an inspiring, efficient and worthy General Secretary and the country has lost a great fighter for the cause of education.

Anis Kumar Ray (79) General Secretary of All India Save Education Committee (AISEC) and Retired Professor, Department of Geology, Presidency University breathed his last today 6 pm at Calcutta Heart Clinic and Hospital, Kolkata.

AISEC calls for cancellation of CPWD training programme on Vastu Shastra.

Appalled at the intention of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) to conduct an online training course at the National CPWD Academy on 17 and 18, November, 2022 for engineers, architects, horticulturists and workers to impress on them the importance and need to apply the ancient prescripts of Vastu Shastra in building design, Shri Anis Ray, General Secretary, AISEC, has issued the following statement:
It is a shocking anachronism that with the tremendous advances modern civilisation and science have achieved in various fields, including civil engineering, architecture and material science, the CPWD has embarked on asking our engineers and architects to undergo a course in Vastu Shastra, obsolete ideas that existed way back in history.
Our ancestors learnt to construct houses, how to use sunlight and ventilation to advantage, going on to design buildings, construct temples and plan towns, acquiring knowledge of geometry, principles of construction and aesthetics in the process. Great temples and monuments were built based on this knowledge. But side by side with these advances in technical skills, grew certain rituals, and the Vastu Shastra texts laying out this knowledge, also gradually began to incorporate certain unscientific ideas, mystical notions and superstitious beliefs.
Modern disciplines of civil engineering and architecture having absorbed whatever was scientific in the ancient Vastu Shastra, have advanced much further through the use of new materials and the application of new scientific discoveries. What is being propagated in the name of Vastu Shastra today is nothing but pseudoscience and superstitions, practised by priests, astrologers and quacks as well as unscrupulous elements and charlatans who use it to exploit gullible people. Innocent people fall victim to it and are persuaded to change and relocate entrances, doors, windows and rooms, sometimes their entire house, in the mistaken belief that doing so would bring them good luck or enable them to avoid misfortune. Vastu Shastra has venture beyond homes and has grown into a roaring business, taking in its stride all sorts of structures and buildings. All new constructions are under compulsion to be Vastu compliant. In short, it has taken the dimensions of a massive scam.
The online course in Vastu Shastra is unwarranted and unnecessary and would serve no scientific purpose. It is nothing but an attempt to bring in through the backdoor superstitious beliefs and obscurantist ideas. It is part of a larger scheme to promote pseudo-science, unscientific ideas and spread superstitious beliefs, all of which are being given official sanction in the name of Indian Knowledge System. Worse yet, with the government and Central institutions coming forward to conduct such a course, they provides it with a stamp of legitimacy, allowing people to be further misled by unprincipled purveyors of superstitions and quackery.
The Government and its departments like CPWD should desist from such exercises like promoting Vastu Shastra, which goes against article 51A of the Constitution that calls for the government and every Indian citizen to promote scientific temper. The government should promote, propagate and implement only those policies which are evidence-based and accepted by the scientific community at large.
Therefore, AISEC unequivocally demands that no government department should promote any such unscientific programme. The CPWD must not only desist from offering the course on Vastu Shastra, it should cancel the training programme on Vastu Shastra.

Say no to proposed imposition of Hindi

Friends, we, the people of India presently face a grave danger ahead centring round the proposed language policy by the Parliamentary Official Language Committee. While presiding over the 37th meeting of the Parliamentary Official Language Committee, Union BJP Home Minister Amit Shah stressed that Hindi should be accepted as an alternative to English to make Hindi an important part of the unity of the country. Two years back , he had twitted that India is a country of different languages and every language has its own importance .. If one language can unite the country today, it is the widely spoken Hindi language. On day one of the present BJP government, an official order was issued that government employees and officials of all ministries, departments, corporations or banks, who have made official accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Google, YouTube or blogs, should use Hindi, or both Hindi and English, but give priority to Hindi. Now the same Parliamentary Committee, in perfect obedience, has come out with the arrogant declaration of using Hindi compulsorily in all central government institutes including IITs and IIMs, vide the proposal of the Parliamentary Committee; even the legal proceedings are to be carried out in Hindi.

The events referred above makes it clear that the BJP-led Union government is working steadily according to their slogan of Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan and it may be apprehended that once implemented, Hindi will be thrust upon the people, to be used compulsorily in all spheres. The issue thus demands scrutiny.

We will all agree that language is the vehicle of thoughts. A country aspiring to develop with higher, noble thoughts will thus require developed languages. On the contrary, with language and its learning impaired, the people may be led to thoughtlessness, and hence succumb to uncritical, blind submission. Unfortunately, so vital an issue of language had to face repeated attacks in the multi-lingual independent India from a so-called majoritarian stand point. In the same vein, once more the issue is raked up.

Friends, in India with people speaking different languages, any such imposition of Hindi from the seat of power on non-Hindi speaking population (as per census 2011, 56.37 percent Indians, that is, more than half of the population, do not identify Hindi as their first language) can only be called autocratic and unjustified. Every sensible person bears a strong emotion towards his or her mother tongue. That is why multilingual countries like Switzerland or Canada, do not have any single state or national language. Nor is there any single national or state language in India. According to Article 344(1) and the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution, there are 22 official languages including both English and Hindi, all of the same rank.

In socio-political fields usage of language has two closely linked aspects: one operational, the other educational. Naturally in the multi-lingual set-up of India, there comes the question of link language, the language or languages for official-administrative purposes, i.e. for interstate communications, in the proceedings of the Supreme Court, in communication between the Centre and the states and debates and discussions within the legislatures. Then again, for example, how should the two doctors communicate between themselves, one Hindi- speaking and the other Kannada speaking, involved in a procedure in an operation theatre?

For historical reasons, English has emerged as such a link language in India and also internationally. Brought in this country by the British for their own administrative purposes, English also opened the window to the great treasure of knowledge of the world to the Indians. It was already very much in use, when we became independent. Nor, it is a foreign language any more, being the mother tongue of the resident Anglo-Indian community. In fact, does it matter that English is foreign? Do not most of the Latin American countries have Spanish or Portuguese as their language, the language of their respective former colonial-imperialist rulers?

What was expected in independent India, was a sincere, all-out drive for developing the languages of the different nationalities. And development of a language can only be ensured through constant and continuous contact, intermingling and in*******se with a relatively developed language. In fact, association and interaction with English, historically internationally recognized as a developed language, had helped Indian languages to take their modern developed shape. So the all-out drive for development of Indian languages required well-monitored interaction between the English on one side and Indian languages on the other. It required massive efforts at translation (not of the type of Google translator) of requisite relevant English literature and preparation of original high-standard books and such other processes. There is no doubt that without these, none of the Indian languages are presently in a position to convey the huge modern material that English brings in through books, journals etc., particularly in higher and professional education. Rather the recent move towards imposition of Hindi on non-Hindi speaking people may seriously hamper the desired progress and development of all other regional languages, attention being focused on Hindi, funds streaming into the Hindi pool. Instead of uniting people as claimed by the Union HM, this imposition will give rise to acute discrimination and may rake up linguistic fanaticism only to divide people. People of non-Hindi speaking states or regions would take it as a jingoist attempt towards establishing domination of Hindi, whereas posing Hindi as substitute of English would hamper development of Hindi itself.
In judging the educational aspect of language there can be no two opinions on the idea that mother tongue is the language which helps one to learn about the world around in the easiest and best way. So, unquestionably mother tongue should be the medium of instruction, from the lowest to the highest stage. For that, as said above, there should be an all-out effort towards developing Indian languages in a proper and sincere way. But till the Indian languages are developed to the desired height of acquiring most advanced and modern knowledge, students must also learn English with due emphasis. Replacing English by any other language in higher education or professional education would debar the students from access to higher knowledge through advanced books and journals most of which are in English. It would shut the window on the world for them.
The stalwart luminaries, who led life-long struggles which have brought the country to its present modern form, did not fail to recognize importance of English. From among scores of instances, we recall Munshi Premchand, one of the most celebrated Hindi litterateurs, who was well-versed not only in Urdu and Persian but also in English. He took great efforts at translating many foreign literary works into Hindi and thereby immensely contributed towards development of Hindi.

The moot question that remains is, all these being fairly well-known, why the rulers have chosen this time to give shape to their design. Again we recall Munshi Premchand who once remarked that the fools do not possess logic. They flex muscle to counter logic. The present move appears to be more than foolish. It is a well-crafted design to give the final shape to a long-conceived conspiracy of the rulers to bring disunity among Hindi- speaking and non-Hindi speaking people. With the society facing all pervading crisis that is giving birth to strong resentment among people, both Hindi- speaking and non-Hindi speaking, the design is meant to divert the sufferers attention from the reality and get them involved in linguistic fratricide. This being in the agenda of the RSS-BJP combine, the timing is so chosen.

Imposition of Hindi, being retrogressive by all measures, needs to be thwarted by the right-thinking people of the country. The AISEC urges them to step forward and help build up a powerful movement against this heinous attempt.

AK Ray
General Secretary

AISEC, Delhi organised a protest demonstration today 8th October at Jantar Mantar Delhi against the Delhi government's move to close the government schools in the name of Closer and merger, which is a part of NEP'20. Despite rainfall the protest was conducted with zeal and high sprit.

On 30 September, the Gwalior Unit of the "All India Save Education Committee" organised a seminar on Vidyasagar, his scientific views and NEP-2020. Several intellectuals of the City addressed the seminar. Mr.Omprakash Sharma,High court advocate, Mr.Maheshpuri Goswami, Retired judge, Mr. Vinod Pathroliya, Observer-janpad panchayat, Mr. B. Gupta Retired chief engineer (electricity department), Mr. Chanchal Ghosh, executive committee member, AISEC, were the speakers.

All India Save Education Committee updated their address.

All India Save Education Committee updated their address.

Photos from All India Save Education Committee's post

Secretariat march and dharna organized by All India Save Education Committee Kerala Chapter demanding that National Education Policy 2020 should not be implemented in Kerala

Webinar on Distorting Indian History in the name of rewriting

Date
24.7.2022, Sunday
at 4pm.

Keynote address:

Prof Irfan Habib
(Renowned Historian, Retired History Professor, Aligarh Muslim University)

Inaugural Address_
Mr. Prakash Bhai Shah
(All India President, AISEC. President Gujarat Sahitya Academy)

Speakers & Topics:

Prof A Karunanandan
Welknown Historian &
Retired Professor & Head of History Department, Vivekananda College, Chennai)
Tampering with Ancient Indian History

Prof Ram Puniyani
(Retired Professor, IIT, Mumbai)
Communalisation of Medieval History:

Prof Anita Rampal
(Former Dean, Faculty of Education, Delhi University)
Critical Pedagogy & Developing Textbooks

Moderator:
Prof. Pradeep Mahapatra
(Retired English Professor, Assam)

Join us on
YouTube : https://youtube.com/c/ALLINDIASAVEEDUCATIONCOMMITTEE

Facebook : https://www.fb.com/aisecindia

Facebook event link- https://fb.me/e/3j0ibNLRs

To
The Hon'ble Minister of Education , Government of India, New Delhi.
Dated, New Delhi the 9th of July 2022.

Sub: Letter of Protest from All India Save Education Committee (AISEC).

Sir,
We're extremely shocked and disappointed to learn that while a very considerable number of intellectuals including renowned educationists, historians of international repute, scientists and various stakeholders in the domain of education are demanding the complete withdrawal of the NEP2020 with the conviction that its implementation is sure to be disastrous for not only the country's system of education but for the society as a whole, your ministry has organized the three day Higher Education Summit ( Akhil Bharat Siksha Samagam) at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh which is already underway for a speedy and smooth implementation of the NEP2020 . This reflects not only your and your government's callous and insensitive attitude to the public opinion on such a very vital issue but also smacks of the danger of a dictatorial and very rigid way of governance which is most undesirable and harmful for a democracy.
Inaugurating this Higher Education Summit (Samagam) in the afternoon of 7th July Prime Minister Sri Modi has claimed that India is going to be the future destination of students from all over the world and Indian institutions of Higher Education are soon going to find themselves in the global ranking. But he has said nothing about the source from where funds will be allotted for infrastructure development or providing scholarships in various areas of research. In stead, the Prime Minister in his speech, has repeatedly referred to Hindu religious scriptures and used the "oft used" phrases like "Amrit Manthan" with a view to inciting the Hindu religious emotion which may just sound palatable to the uncritical ears but have nothing to do with "making India the future destination of students all over the world"!
AISEC has already submitted memoranda twice to the President of India that were signed by tens of thousands of people who included renowned intellectuals, professors and educationists of the country. In our many communications with your ministry and other literature of ours we've clearly stated the reasons for our opposing this National Policy on Education. To mention just a couple of them, the NEP2020 has been so designed that in stead of improving the situation in the domain of education, from elementary to the higher, it is sure to make it far worse because of its most impractical and unscientific suggestions and recommendations.Further , NEP2020 speaks of replacing the age old, time-tested, formal class room teaching with the online mode of teaching and learning which is again designed to benefit the corporate giants who are out to make super profits by selling their edu tech apps which can only be bought by the students coming from an economically rich background.
The most dangerous of the attacks on education, culture, and civilisation that comes through the NEP2020 is its design to obliterate the teachings of the stalwarts of Indian Renaissance and those of leaders of the country's anti- imperialist Freedom Struggle whose vision of education in free India was one of SECULAR, SCIENTIFIC AND DEMOCRATIC charecter. As opposed to this, the NEP2020 proposes to infiltrate the minds of the young learners with most outdated, obscurantist and superstitious ideas and thoughts through its so called Indian Knowledge System which is sure to bring back the vices of casteism, communalism and religious fundamentalism which every modern nation must strive to uproot from the minds of its future citizens.
The right thinking and education loving people of the country are genuinely concerned about the future of public funded education system in India because of the rigid, autocratic and dictatorial approach of your government with regard to the rather forcible imposition of the NEP2020 that's anti- people and pro corporate. We are also very much alarmed at the manner in which in the name of rewriting history, an attempt is afoot by various governmental agencies including NCERT to "deliberately distort the history of India". We have rightly taken exception to this, viewing it as a part of the design not to allow the young minds to have access to the real history of India and demand of you and your ministry not to indulge in such acts. AISEC, even at this stage, strongly demands of you and your government to be reasonable and considerate with regard to the implementation of this extremely harmful NEP2020 which is sure to be disastrous and hence, we urge upon you to desist from moving further on to implement it the scrapping of which, in fact, is the need of the hour. In the very interest of SCIENTIFIC, SECULAR and DEMOCRATIC education we, on behalf AISEC even now, demand its withdrawal lock, stock and barrel.
With thanks,
Yours faithfully,
Anis Kumar Ray,
General Secretary,
All India Save Education Committee ( AISEC)