Kolkata, February 19 The All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO) announced on Thursday a statewide campaign to collect one lakh signatures demanding the withdrawal of the semester system in schools, colleges, and universities.
Speaking at a press conference at the organization's state office, AIDSO state secretary Biswajit Roy alleged that the introduction of the semester system in Classes 11 and 12 has pushed school education "towards complete destruction."
The AIDSO is the students' wing of the Left Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist).
Roy said that students and guardians will march to the offices of the District Inspector of Education (DI) in different zones from March 2-12 and called upon "everyone concerned about the present state of affairs" to join the peaceful demonstrations.
He claimed that the number of teaching days has been reduced under the semester system and students are not receiving textbooks on time.
"Students are being forced to appear for crucial Higher Secondary examinations with incomplete syllabi and partial preparation. As a result, they are becoming anxious over poor results and their academic future is turning uncertain," he said.
Roy further alleged that thousands of schools in the state are shutting down due to government "apathy" and that composite grants are not being disbursed regularly or in adequate amounts.
Raising similar concerns about higher education, Roy said that the introduction of the four-year undergraduate degree course and the semester system has "severely disrupted" colleges and universities.
He claimed that six-month semester examinations are being conducted within two to three months, leading to a large number of students dropping out midway.
The AIDSO leader also pointed to shortages of teachers and non-teaching staff in schools, colleges, and universities, which he said were hindering regular academic activities.
Stating that students and guardians across the state are worried about the state of affairs in education, Roy urged people to join the signature campaign, which will continue until May, to press for the demand of scrapping the semester system at the school, college, and university levels.