STUDENT'S FEDERATION OF INDIA, KERALA

STUDENT'S FEDERATION OF INDIA....

Students’ Federation of India [SFI] Formed at an all India conference held from 27-30 December 1970 at Thiruvananthapuram.The Students’ Federation of India, since its inception, successfully championed the slogan of ‘Study & Struggle’ and effectively countered the disruptive theory of ‘Student Power’ that ascribed to the student community the leadership of social revolution.

The Students’ Federation of India takes upon itself the historic task of leading the student community of our country in its endeavor to establish a democratic, scientific, and progressive education system to ensure education and job for all. The student community is an integral part of the society and the upliftment and betterment of their conditions of life and education depends upon and is determined by the all-round development of our society. Hence, they cannot but evince keen interest in the socio-economic, political, and cultural conditions of the country and its radical all-around development and progress.

SFI is of the opinion that ensuring education for all is the duty of the State. The deepening of the neo-liberal reforms since the closing decades of the last century has seen the State abdicating from its responsibility of disseminating education in the country

The Students’ Federation of India is critical of the existing education system also because of its inadequacy to boost the development of the enormous natural and human resources available, and to make use of the great growth potential of our country.

In our country the most dangerous manifestation of the divisive tendencies is the communal fascistic policies of the Sangh Parivar. The communal forces are using education system as a means to inject the communal venom to further vested interests. They are using all the means at their disposal to disrupt the secular fabric of our country

The student movement is an integral component of the wider democratic movement of the workers, peasants, and other progressive forces. It can neither achieve its immediate day-to-day demands nor realise its aims and objectives without a combined and united effort of all the progressive and democratic forces of our country.

As a student organisation with a progressive outlook, Students’ Federation of India is interested in encouraging free and frank discussion on what scientific socialism is and what are the correct means and methods of achieving it. The Students’ Federation of India declares itself as an united and broad-based mass organisation of students and not a political party but is primarily interested in the upliftment and betterment of the student community, and pledges to zealously protect the independent, scientific, progressive, democratic, and secular character of its organisation.

AIMS...

OUR AIMS

To organise the students in schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions of the country and also Indian students studying abroad under its banner to build a powerful and well-knit student movement for the upliftment and betterment of the student community

2. To take active interest in the struggle for liquidation of the evil legacies of colonialism and for building in our country an independent, democratic and socialist society to ensure a prosperous and progressive future for our people.

3. To establish a democratic, scientific and progressive educational system ensuring education and job for all that will be facilitated by the implementation of comprehensive land reforms, elimination of the stranglehold of international finance capital and indigenous monopoly capitalism.

4. To organise the student community in the struggles of the wider democratic movement of the workers, peasants, and other progressive forces and to seek their cooperation and support to achieve the immediate demands and aims.

5. To achieve the democratic rights of the student community

- Right to democratic and independent expression and behavior. - Right to form student unions and associations and right to assemble - Right to participate in the management of all educational institutions and of all bodies connected with the academic and other affairs of student life.

6. To work for free universal and compulsory education up to secondary stage and abolition of all school fees up to plus two stage, and for all necessary and complete facilities of education, hostel, scholarships, sports and cultural and social activities that would be adequate and within the reach of all students. To ensure that education upto primary level is provided in mother tongue.

7. To struggle for guarantee of employment after completion of education or unemployment grants till employed and fight for the recognition of the right to work as a constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right.

8. To fight against every manifestation of, and oppression or discrimination based on, religion, caste, language, race, region or gender and to work for secularism, communal harmony, amity and equality of all.

9. To extend warm solidarity to all the progressive forces of the world struggling for freedom, national independence and socialism.

10. To establish fraternal and friendly relations with all other student organisations, which are pledged to work for secularism, democracy and socialism and to have united action with other student organisations on specific issues and demands.

FLAG

A flag with a red five cornered star in the top left corner, on a white background and Independence, Democracy and Socialism written one beneath the other also in red; the ratio of length and breadth of the flag being 3:2.

AFFILIATION OF STUDENT ORGANISATIONS, MEMBERS AND UNITS

Students’ Federation of India may permit affiliation to any student organisation, based on a State in India or in certain areas of any state or on any educational institution provided that the organisation accepts the programme of Students’ Federation of India, and expresses its willingness to abide by the Constitution of Students’ Federation of India and command a certain minimum number of students on its rolls, as decided by the Central Executive Committee of the Students’ Federation of India.

Any unit desiring affiliation to Students' Federation of India shall charge its members a subscription fee of Rs 1 per academic session in case of school students, and Rs 2 per academic session for students from other academic institutions, or $ 1 in case of overseas Indian students and shall pay an affiliation fee of 20 per cent of the subscription fee, per member on its rolls to the Central Executive Committee of the Students Federation of India Apart from the affiliation fee from each member, each unit of the organisation and the affiliate organisations will have to pay a registration fee of Re 1/- and overseas units and affiliates, 1$ per annum to the Central Executive Committee of the Students’ Federation of India.

MEMBERSHIP AND RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF THE MEMBERS

A student above 12 years of age or studying in standard six and above, whichever is earlier, irrespective of gender, caste, religion, language, race or region and opinion, who accepts the objectives of the Students Federation of India and pays the required annual subscription fee is eligible to be a member. School students are required to pay an annual subscription of 1 rupee, and students from other academic institutions have to pay Rs 2 or 1 $ in case of overseas Indian students. The membership will be valid for a single academic session only. The differential membership fees shall not in any way mean differential rights and duties of the members.

Any member of Students’ Federation of India after the completion of ones education is eligible to enroll oneself as a member for another two years more. Even after this period, the conference can elect those ex-students in the Executive Committee or as office bearers of the said committee.

Every member will have the right to elect and to be elected and place ones opinions before the executive of the Students’ Federation of India.

A member will have the right of resignation.

All members will have the responsibility of implementing the programmes adopted through general conference and the right to propagate those objectives and activities of the Students’ Federation of India. Every member should regularly read the organ of the Students’ Federation of India and should take responsibilities of popularizing the organ.

Every member can contribute and should collect funds for the organisation.

DISCIPLINARY ACTION

Disciplinary action may be taken against any member by the duly constituted committee under whose jurisdiction the member is enrolled, if the person’s activities are against the interest or the Constitution, of the organisation.

A member facing disciplinary charges has the right to explain his or her conduct to the committee initiating action.

Expulsion of a member has to be ratified by the next higher committee. A member who is expelled or is facing any disciplinary action has the right to appeal to the higher committees and subsequently up to the Central Executive Committee.

Central Executive Committee can disaffiliate any unit, for not conforming to the interest of the organisation or acting against the aims and objectives of the organisation. State bodies have similar powers vis-à-vis units under them. In the latter case, right of appeal for the units lie with the Central Executive Committee.

Disaffiliation of any State committee by the Central Executive Committee must be placed for approval at the next All India Conference.

STRUCTURE OF THE ORGANISATION

Conferences

Executives

Affiliated bodies, organised on State, District, Zone/Area, local and institution basis

THE ORGANISATION AND ITS RIGHTS

The All India Conference will be the highest body of the entire organisation. The State Conference will be the highest body of the respective state organisation; similarly, the highest body of the organisation for any level will be the conference of the organisation of that particular level. The All India conferences will be held normally every two years.

The Affiliated bodies of Students’ Federation of India will elect delegates to the All India Conference by proportional vote in their respective conferences. Delegates to a conference of the Students’ Federation of India will be elected from the conferences or organisational conventions of the lower level bodies that come under its jurisdiction. In case of organisational conventions, advance ratification from the higher committee will be required. The number of delegates from any unit to a conference will be in a certain proportion of the membership commanded by the unit. The executive or the committee of a level will decide on the ratio of delegation and membership and other matters pertaining to the details of the same for the conference at its level.

The conference will take the final decision pertaining to the subject and the procedure of the conference and will elect a steering committee and a presidium for conducting the work of the conference.

The conference will review the work of the organisation of the interim period since the last conference and will adopt the future programme.

A statement on the work carried out and the annual accounts of the outgoing committee will be placed before the conference.

The conference will elect an executive, the number of which shall be fixed by the Conference.

The voting will be by secret ballot and proportional representation in case unanimity is wanting in the elections.

EXECUTIVE

In between two conferences the executive or the committee shall be the highest body.

The executive will execute the decision of the conference.

The executive will draft rules in conformity with the Constitution for conducting the work.

The CEC should meet at least thrice a year and the notice of the meeting should be circulated at least 15 days prior to the meeting. If at least one-third of the members of the Central Executive Committee demand for a meeting, it shall have to call a meeting within two months. If more than one-third of the members be present at a meeting, the decision of the meeting shall be considered valid.

If any seat becomes vacant, the executive can co-opt to fill up the space.

The member of the executive shall have to pay the fee of one rupee per year.

The Executive may form different sub-committees to carry on its work

The Executive after its election shall elect a President, a General Secretary and Vice Presidents and Joint Secretaries whose numbers it shall decide. The total strength of the Central Secretariat will not exceed 1/3rd of the total strength of the Executive.

The Executive shall form the editorial board for the organ of the Students’ Federation of India or the secretariat should take the necessary responsibility.

The executive may assign one member from the secretariat to supervise the fund.

All the affiliated state units should be represented in the Executive.

The President or in the absence of the President any Vice President shall conduct the functions of the Executive Committee.

The All India Conference shall be convened by the decision of the Executive.

The Executive is empowered to remove, suspend, or expel any of its members or office bearers for misconduct or any anti-organisational activities.

THE SECRETARIAT

The Secretariat shall consist of office bearers. It conducts the functions of the interim period between two executive meetings.

The General Secretary after consultation with the Secretariat shall convene the meeting of the Executive Committee.

The affiliated bodies and State Committees of the organisation can have their own Constitution without transgressing or conflicting with the provisions of the Constitution of Students’ Federation of India.

CHANGE IN THE CONSTITUTION

The conference only can change or amend the Programme and Constitution. Any notice of proposed amendments to the Constitution by any member or unit must reach the Central Executive Committee at least two months before the All India Conference. The Central Executive Committee must circulate them to the State units at least one month before the All India Conference. The amendments proposed by CEC will also have to follow the same procedure.

All proposed amendments to the programme and Constitution must be passed by at least two-thirds of the total number of delegates attending the Conference.

RULES UNDER THE CONSTITUTION

1) The rules under the Constitution can be amended by the Central Executive Committee.

2) To ensure the rights of individual members, the primary unit committees must organise general body meetings after the interval of certain regular periods and the primary unit committees will have to take into cognizance the views of the general body and make necessary alteration or rectification if the need so arises. But these general body meetings should not be construed as substitute to the annual unit conference.

3) To organise such general body meetings in a meaningful manner, it is necessary to limit the membership under one primary unit committee. To adopt such a course, it is obvious that the institution cannot always be the basis for the formation of the unit. The new basis for such units may be evolved in consultation with the immediate higher committee.

4) To adopt the democratic principles for the functioning of the organisation, it is necessary to define the areas of rights and responsibilities of the various committees at different levels. The rights of the different committees are as follows:

a) The primary unit committee will have the absolute right of taking decisions concerning issues at the institution level or its defined area of work, provided such decisions do not have implications, which go beyond the confines of the institution or the unit’s area of work.

b) The local committee will have absolute right to take decisions concerning issues at its respective local level, provided such decisions do not have implications, which go beyond the confines of the respective locale.

c) The area /zonal committees will have absolute right to take decisions concerning issues at the respective area/zonal level provided such decisions do not have implications, which go beyond the confines of the respective area/ zone.

d) The district committee will have absolute right to take decisions concerning issues at the respective district level, provided such decisions do not have implications, which go beyond the confines of the respective district.

e) The state committee will have absolute right to take all decisions concerning issues at the respective state level, provided such decisions do not have implications, which go beyond the confines of the respective state. The state committee will have the right to publish journals. The lower committees can only do so with explicit permission from the state committee.

f) The CEC will have the absolute right to take decisions on all issues of national and international concern.

5) With new and diverse conditions of the student movement prevailing in different parts of the country, the mechanism of affiliation is not fully adequate to provide organisational space for interaction with new student structures with democratic content, which are coming up, on regional basis. For the advance of the united and democratic student movement of the country, it is necessary to bestow consultative status to these structures. The CEC will have the absolute power to workout the exact mechanism taking concrete decisions on the basis of evaluation of specific cases.

End

STUDENTS’ FEDERATION OF INDIA PROGRAMME

Our Heritage

1.1 The Students’ Federation of India inherits with pride the anti-imperialist, patriotic, secular, democratic, and progressive legacy of the Indian people’s struggle for national liberation from the British colonial rule. It carries forward the heritage of the progressive student movement of our country, which has always considered itself an inseparable part of the broader struggle for social transformation. It is this legacy that the Students’ Federation of India holds aloft in its slogan of “Independence, Democracy, and Socialism!”

1.2 The Students’ Federation of India cannot be oblivious of the fact that our country had to suffer centuries of colonial slavery and ruthless exploitation of foreign imperialism and native feudalism. This led to mass-scale poverty, hunger, misery and aggravation of social evils for the vast majority of the people and forced them to lead a sub-human life. The growing consciousness against the social evils saw the birth of a social reform movement led by great rational thinkers. The people’s fight to put an end to the British colonial rule and feudalism gave birth to the historic national movement for independence, in which students played an active role.

1.3 The formation of the All India Students’ Federation on 12th August 1936 marked the consolidation of the progressive and radical trends within the Indian student community and the beginning of the organised student movement in India. The distinctive character of AISF was the manner in which it organised within its fold students irrespective of their political affiliation under the slogan of anti-imperialism. Also, on the world-scale, rapid advances were being made in the USSR vis-à-vis the deepening crisis in the industrially advanced capitalist countries, which attracted students to the Left ideology.

1.4 The debates during the formative years of the AISF saw the crystallization of the two basic premises that have since guided the progressive student movement. The first is the right and the necessity of students to organize themselves in defense of their rights and to struggle for an education system that would meet the needs of the vast majority of our people. The second is the recognition that such a struggle can be successful only when combined with the broader struggles of other sections of the people.

1.5 The post World War II years, which brought about the decisive defeat of fascism, also witnessed massive popular resistance worldwide against colonialism. During this period, the national liberation struggles in various countries gained momentum, and India was not an exception. The AISF stood in solidarity with the mass struggles, at times playing a significant role. As a culmination of these struggles, our country finally attained political independence. However, these were also the times when the communal divide aided by the British was deepening that finally led to the partition of the country.

1.6- Independence in 1947 brought high hopes that the progressive and democratic ideals of the freedom struggle would be realized. In the initial decades, significant achievements were registered in building up a democratic polity and breaking the colonial stagnation of the economy. These, however, were halting and inadequate to meet the needs of our vast millions. This was because the process was fraught with contradictions — the central one being that the new regime adopted a capitalist path of development on the basis of a historic compromise with landlordism and imperialism. As a result, the stranglehold of feudal and semi-feudal relations remained largely intact. Consequently, neither economic growth nor democracy could have a stable base. In the sphere of education too, while there was some progress in the post-independence period, it was in the main limited to a privileged few, and the Constitutional directive for universal and compulsory primary education remained largely unfulfilled.

1.7- The different perspectives regarding the policies of the ruling class led to a serious rift in the student movement. A section of the leadership insisted on supporting the line of the then Congress government, thus making student movement tail the government’s policies. An opposing section stood for mobilizing the student community against the government policies. Due to the dominance of the former view, the AISF by the decade of sixties was robbed of the potential of struggling against the anti-student and anti-people policies of the then Congress government. This forced various state unit organisations to function independently. It became essential to build a new militant organisation moored in the earlier fine tradition of the AISF, which led to the formation of the Students’ Federation of India [SFI] at an all India conference held from 27-30 December 1970 at Thiruvananthapuram.

1.8 The Students’ Federation of India, since its inception, successfully championed the slogan of ‘Study & Struggle’ and effectively countered the disruptive theory of ‘Student Power’ that ascribed to the student community the leadership of social revolution. The Students’ Federation of India stood firmly against attacks on democratic rights and fought against the imposition of emergency. Its slogan of “Education for all, Jobs for all” found a strong appeal within the student masses of the country, rallying them to the fold of the movement and the organisation. The Students’ Federation of India consistently stood in solidarity with the anti-imperialist national liberation movements across the globe.

1.9 The introduction of new education policy in 1986 saw a renewed attack on the public education system. Students’ Federation of India initiated a united struggle against these proposals intended to drastically curtail the scope of education in the government sector. SFI was able to withstand the anti-reservation stir against the Mandal Commission recommendations due to the principled position it had taken. It fought in defence of the unity and integrity of the country, for communal amity, social justice and made heroic sacrifices in these struggles.

1.10 The Students’ Federation of India is fully aware of the fact that the imposition of the neo-liberal economic policies on our country is disastrous to the vast majority of the people, which deprives large sections of students from access to education and employment. On the other hand, the right wing communal forces systematically undermine even the modest democratic and secular content of our education system to propagate their politics of hate and religious frenzy in an attempt to draw a wedge between different communities. Students’ Federation of India has been at the forefront of struggles against this dual danger, in defence of students’ rights and for upholding the secular, democratic character and sovereignty of our Republic

1.11 The earlier generations of the student community played their proud and glorious role in fighting for the achievement of political independence from the British. Following their example, it is the historic and patriotic duty of our generation of students to take an active interest in the struggle for elimination of the evil legacies of dependence, backwardness and poverty, and laying the foundation for a really free, prosperous, and progressive future for our people. The Students’ Federation of India presents before the student community a programme that guides them to achieve a democratic, scientific and progressive education system. It commits to carry forward the uncompromising struggle for the establishment of a socialist society, a social order free from all kinds of exploitation.

Our Perspective

2.1- The Students’ Federation of India takes upon itself the historic task of leading the student community of our country in its endeavor to establish a democratic, scientific, and progressive education system to ensure education and job for all. The student community is an integral part of the society and the upliftment and betterment of their conditions of life and education depends upon and is determined by the all-round development of our society. Hence, they cannot but evince keen interest in the socio-economic, political, and cultural conditions of the country and its radical all-around development and progress.

2.2- Every demand for education, employment opportunities, and the right to work, and every slogan in defense of civil rights such as right to speech, assembly, and association, and every protest against any injustice or oppression are invariably connected with the policies of the state and thus assume a political character. In the face of this reality, it is hypocritical to subscribe to bankrupt slogans such as ‘students should abstain from politics’ and ‘education should be apolitical’. The Students’ Federation of India is of the considered view that such deceptive slogans have the political motivation of perpetuating political ignorance among the student community to conceal from them the harsh implications of the anti-people policies of the ruling classes thus help the conservative, exploitative social order to stay.

2.3 Even after more than five decades of independence, the State has miserably failed to provide universal elementary education. Millions of children though interested in attending schools, are forced to work as child labourers due to their abject poverty. Without bringing a thorough change in their socio-economic conditions, neither the obnoxious practice of child labour can be abolished nor the goal of universal elementary education achieved. Whatever expansion took place in the volume of educational institutions also is limited to some privileged few; the vast sections of the toiling masses still largely lack access to education – pre-primary to university. Large-scale commercialisation and the abdication of the State from its responsibility to fund education has stifled the public education system and resulted in a rapid decline in the standard of and access to education.

2.4 SFI is of the opinion that ensuring education for all is the duty of the State. The deepening of the neo-liberal reforms since the closing decades of the last century has seen the State abdicating from its responsibility of disseminating education in the country. Due to this failure of the State, private educational institutes are mushrooming throughout the country with a disastrous impact on fees, admission policy and democratic rights. In the background of this reality, SFI demands that the State fulfill its responsibility of providing higher education, and for private educational institutions, a mechanism to ensure social control - especially in the area of admissions, fee and content - should be established.

2.5 The Students’ Federation of India is critical of the existing education system also because of its inadequacy to boost the development of the enormous natural and human resources available, and to make use of the great growth potential of our country. The colonial influence in the curriculum of education is still more or less unaltered. The Union government has continually eroded the federal character of our country and it is trying to vest major powers for itself in framing the policies on education. The attack on the democratic rights of the academic community, particularly those of students, has become very common. Students across the country have seen their basic right to associate and elect representatives being taken away and student resistance often being met by brutal repression.

2.6-The future of the youth is in grave crisis due to the severely deteriorating employment situation in the country. Lack of dynamism in the private industrial and service sectors coupled with the shrinking government sector has constrained the growth of employment opportunities. The escalation of unemployment, both in general and especially among the educated youth, renders waste the vast social and material investment made in education.

2.7-The problems of education and its development or the unemployment crisis cannot be understood in isolation of the overall socio-economic conditions. Feudal land relations on the one hand and the dominance of monopoly and imperialist capital on the other have fettered the pace of industrialisation in our country. In the absence of comprehensive land reforms, agricultural income continues to remain highly concentrated with a few. This has resulted in the failure to create an extensive and effective demand for industrial products, which could have in turn spurred the industrialisation process. Monopoly and foreign capital compel the already existing relatively smaller units to close down. In the face of such hurdles, a sustained process of industrialisation could never really take off. Such a lopsided industrialisation in turn has failed to generate employment and an effective demand for manpower. In the absence of sufficient demand for trained and schooled labour in the economy, the spontaneous process of extension and development of education has lagged. Ultimately it is the actual and effective development of the real economy – industry and agriculture – which is crucial for extensive employment, education and overall prosperity. In the light of such an understanding, the task of land reform and elimination of the stranglehold of monopoly and imperialist capital are central to the objective of extensive generation of employment and concomitant expansion and development of education in our country.

2.8-Institutions of higher education play a crucial role in fostering the intellectual self-reliance of a country. The attack of imperialist globalisation on education is part of the imperialist strategy to perpetuate its hegemonic influence on the third world by ruining independence of thought and research in natural and social sciences in higher academic institutions, which are very essential for any country to preserve sovereignty and self-reliance. The Students’ Federation of India realises the urgent necessity of overhauling the present educational system. Equal access of opportunities at all stages of education should be ensured. SFI urges for a scientific and democratic education system that is suited to explore and develop all the capabilities and special aptitudes of the students that will help in propelling the rapid development of our people and the country.

2.9 - The setback to socialism in the Soviet Union and East European countries paved the way for US-led imperialism to use its economic, political, and military power aggressively to establish its hegemony the world over. Imperialism has resorted to predatory wars in order to maintain its dominance and divert attention from the exploitative nature of the new economic reforms of globalisation. The US, with its vast nuclear arsenal, exhibits an aggressive militarism, disregarding even basic international norms and treaties and superseding multilateral world forums such as the United Nations. The Students’ Federation of India declares its deep-rooted commitment to world peace and nuclear disarmament and extends its solidarity to all the progressive forces of the world fighting for freedom, democracy, territorial integrity, national independence and socialism against imperialist hegemony. The Students’ Federation of India strongly denounces US imperialism as the foremost enemy of humankind and declares its resolve to join hands with all progressive, anti-imperialist forces the world over in the battle to wipe out imperialism forever.

2.10 - The insecurities, uneven development and deprivations generated by imperialist globalisation has provided fertile grounds for the growth of fundamentalist and chauvinist forces. These forces have often received the support of imperialism because of their potential of disrupting people’s unity. The imperialist aggression which is nothing but State terrorism and the violence unleashed by these forces seek their justification in each other. All forms of terrorism and fundamentalism pose a serious threat to our national unity and integrity. SFI is also opposed to the curtailment of democratic rights by the State in the name of combating terror. SFI defends the unity and integrity of our country and believes that it can be safeguarded only through student and other popular mobilizations.

2.11 In our country the most dangerous manifestation of the divisive tendencies is the communal fascistic policies of the Sangh Parivar. The communal forces are using education system as a means to inject the communal venom to further vested interests. They are using all the means at their disposal to disrupt the secular fabric of our country. This majority communalism in turn breeds minority communalism and vice-versa, which are detrimental to the interests of the people.

2.12 The period of liberalisation is also a period of increasing attacks on the democratic rights of the people. The judiciary, which is regarded as a protector of the rights, is increasingly influenced by these policies as is evident in a series of anti-people judgments. Together with this, corrupt practices within a section of judiciary are undermining the faith of people. Though formally, both the rich and poor are equal in principle. The system of justice in essence is serving the interests of the exploiting classes.

2.13 The student movement is an integral component of the wider democratic movement of the workers, peasants, and other progressive forces. It can neither achieve its immediate day-to-day demands nor realise its aims and objectives without a combined and united effort of all the progressive and democratic forces of our country. The Students’ Federation of India will continuously educate its ranks and propagate among the broad student masses the importance of the unity of all the democratic forces of the country in the struggle for a just and equitable social order. As such, it seeks the cooperation and the support of the democratic movement of workers, peasants, and the middle classes and extends its co-operation and support to all these movements and their aspirations. It raises its voice against all exploitation and oppression of workers, peasants, women, Dalits, and tribals.

2.14 As a student organisation with a progressive outlook, Students’ Federation of India is interested in encouraging free and frank discussion on what scientific socialism is and what are the correct means and methods of achieving it. The Students’ Federation of India declares itself as an united and broad-based mass organisation of students and not a political party but is primarily interested in the upliftment and betterment of the student community, and pledges to zealously protect the independent, scientific, progressive, democratic, and secular character of its organisation.

Aims and Objectives

3.1-The Students’ Federation of India takes upon itself the task of organising the students in schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions of the country and also Indian students studying abroad under its banner to build a powerful and well-knit student movement for the upliftment and betterment of the student community.

3.2-The Students’ Federation of India fights for the realisation of its aim to establish a democratic, scientific, secular and progressive educational system ensuring education and job for all that calls for the implementation of comprehensive land reforms, elimination of the stranglehold of international finance capital and indigenous monopoly capitalism. The Students’ Federation of India aims to accomplish this by organising the student community in the struggles of the wider democratic movement of the workers, peasants, and other progressive forces.

3.3- The Students’ Federation of India as a forward-looking and progressive student organisation shall inscribe on its banner, “Independence, Democracy and Socialism”. It is with this perspective that Students’ Federation of India is committed to strive for a society free from all exploitation. It shall fight all such alien trends and tendencies that are disruptive of our struggle for the emancipation of our people and country.

3.4- The Students’ Federation of India will continuously work to ensure all necessary facilities for complete and meaningful education – hostel, library and laboratory, sports and games, athletics and physical training, culture and entertainment, and other educative and social activities – that will be adequate and within the reach of all students. The Students’ Federation of India will continuously fight for the attainment of all just and democratic rights of students. It will fight and work for the right of students to democratic and independent expression and conduct, to form unions and associations, to assemble, to participate in the management of educational institutions and in all activities connected with the academic and other aspects of student life. The Students’ Federation of India will strive to develop the Students’ urge for more and more knowledge and to inculcate among students the practice of self-education and self-discipline. The Students’ Federation of India will further strive to develop close-knit relations between teachers, non-teaching staff, guardians, students and the rest of the academic community, and foster mutual respect and regard between them. The Students’ Federation of India will untiringly resist any attempt to drive a wedge between the students and the rest of the academic community. It will also oppose all attempts to alienate the student community from other democratic and toiling sections of our people.

3.5-The Students’ Federation of India, while stressing the duty and necessity of the student community for diligent and industrious study of the humanities and the sciences to equip themselves with adequate knowledge and enlightenment, simultaneously seeks to encourage and promote their thirst for political and social knowledge and consciousness. The students should thus be adequately prepared, on leaving school or college, to play their rightful role as conscious citizens of this fast changing society of our times.

3.6-The Students’ Federation of India pledges to fight for equality of all, irrespective of religion, caste, gender, language, and race and as part of this struggle, commits to fight for the empowerment of the disadvantaged classes, castes, tribes and communities, the women, and other marginalised sections of the society and for the protection of the rights of the linguistic, ethnic, racial, religious and other minorities. The Students’ Federation of India upholds the constitutionally guaranteed rights for minorities to run and manage educational institutions in the country. However it should be ensured that these institutions are not run with a commercial motive to earn profits and misutilised for spreading irrational and fundamentalist ideology.

3.7- The Students’ Federation of India stands firmly in defense of secularism, the complete separation of state and polity from religion. The Students’ Federation of India declares its uncompromising opposition to all forms of religious fundamentalism, bigotry and communalism, and pledges to fight against all forms of communal violence, terror, and in particular communal fascism. The communal forces divide the student community thus weakening their struggles for educational and employment rights. The Students’ Federation of India unflinchingly confronts all attempts to destroy the unity of the students and the people at large on religious and communal lines and with unfailing sincerity addresses itself to the task of promoting communal harmony and patriotic unity of the people against the anti-national forces of communalism.

3.8- Students Federation of India is strongly opposed to all forms of gender discrimination and oppression in every sphere of life. The prevalence of age-old evil traditions like sati and dowry portray the deplorable condition of women in our country. It commits to fight all patriarchal values and practices which draw their basis both from the remnants of feudal relations, outmoded ways of thought, and from the commodification of women under capitalism. SFI shall fight for the emancipation of women and demands equality of access to education for girls. SFI stands and strives for a progressive and gender sensitive ethos and curriculum.

3.9- The Students’ Federation of India is vehemently opposed to all forms of caste discrimination and oppression. SFI strives to eradicate the inhuman practice of untouchability, all forms of social oppression and fights for the abolition of caste system. It supports reservations for the dalits, the adivasis and other backward castes and communities in the area of education and employment, and demands its extension to the private sector too. The Students’ Federation of India is of the considered opinion that other forms of deprivation like economic, regional, and gender-wise backwardness should also be taken into account in providing reservations. It also raises its voice for the fulfillment of the existing stipulation of reservations and new provisions wherever required for all other disadvantaged categories (physically challenged, etc.).

3.10- The Students’ Federation of India staunchly opposes all kinds of narrow, separatist parochialism and chauvinism, be it on linguistic, provincial, regional, or ethnic lines. The Students’ Federation of India strives for a democratic realignment of power between the Union and the state governments with emphasis on decentralization of power to strengthen the federal character of the nation in order to safeguard national unity and to ensure balanced development. The Students’ Federation of India fully supports the developmental aspirations, both material and cultural, of the various nationalities in the Indian Union within the territorial integrity of the country and extends full cooperation to their legitimate and democratic struggles against the oppressive and authoritarian policies of the State.

3.11- The socially unplanned and uncontrolled capitalist path of development with the sole objective of reckless profiteering has precipitated dangerous environmental degradation. The Students’ Federation of India is committed to environment-friendly development and will strive along with progressive peoples’ movements for protection and sustenance of environment.

3.12-The cultural diversity of our country is facing multi-pronged attacks. On one hand the onslaught of market-oriented consumerist values is deforming our cultural foundations while on the other hand aggressive communalism is seeking to impose a Manuvadi cultural hierarchy in the name of ‘cultural nationalism’. The Students’ Federation of India firmly resists all attempts to mutilate the mosaic of our varied and pluralistic culture while firmly rejecting the influence of the colonial-feudal culture. It stands committed to steadfastly promote development of people’s culture based on modern, scientific progressive and humanitarian values.

3.13-The Students’ Federation of India works towards protecting identity, languages and culture of indigenous, tribal communities while fighting against their exploitation and dispossession for their overall development and helping them to integrate with the mainstream social life. At the same time, the Students’ Federation of India struggles for the development of education, welfare and integrity of tribes by defending their rights. The rights of the tribal people should be protected according to the Schedules V and VI of the Constitution of India, especially at a time of intensifying attack of imperialist globalisation.

3.14-The Students’ Federation of India is committed to strengthen the mass democratic movement in our country in order to advance the struggle for socio-economic emancipation of the people. The Students’ Federation of India, along with other progressive forces, stands committed to fight against the stranglehold of feudal and casteist values and rituals that severely impair the advancement of democratic consciousness among the masses. A radical social reform movement together with the fight against feudal land relations along with other democratic and progressive forces is an important part of Students’ Federation of India’s agenda to develop democratic consciousness among the vast toiling sections.

3.15-The Students’ Federation of India as an organisation and movement inspired by anti-imperialist, democratic, and socialist ideas, is pledged to combat the onslaught of imperialist globalisation and domination in all areas of student and public life. The Students’ Federation of India simultaneously is pledged to protect the unity and integrity of our country from the onslaught of communal and separatist forces. It extends its solidarity to all the progressive forces of the world fighting for freedom, independence, territorial integrity, democracy, and socialism against imperialist aggression. The Students’ Federation of India is committed to work in close coordination with all the progressive, democratic, and socialist forces around the world and earnestly work for building a powerful international Student movement in defense of world peace, independence, democracy and socialism against imperialism.

3.16- The Students’ Federation of India seeks to establish warm and friendly relations with all other organisations and associations of students, youth and the academic community, which are pledged to work for independence, secularism, democracy, peace, and socialism. It is prepared to unite with all those who are willing to join hands with it on specific issues and demands, and jointly act with them for the redress of the Students’ grievances.

3.17- The Students’ Federation of India places this programme before the student community and calls upon the students, youth, women, middle classes, peasants, workers and all other forces interested in the democratic advancement of our country to unite for the fulfillment of these tasks and join hands to build a prosperous life for all our people.