Guwahati: Concerns over the growing commercialisation of education, weakening public education systems and the erosion of democratic spaces were highlighted at a memorial lecture in Guwahati on Monday, marking the 14th death anniversary of former Assam College Teachers’ Association (ACTA) general secretary Apurba Kumar Das.
Organised by the Dr. Apurba Kumar Das Memorial Library at New Art Players, the programme featured a lecture titled “The Struggle to Save Public Education: From France to India”.
Delivering the keynote address, Bhupen Sarmah, former director of the Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development (OKDISCD), discussed student and teachers’ movements across several countries, linking them to concerns over the decline of public education, democratic rights and the rise of authoritarianism.
Sarmah referred to protests in France over teacher shortages, inadequate school infrastructure and educational inequality, as well as demonstrations by teachers in Spain and school blockades in Germany. He also cited student movements in Serbia, Chile and Bolivia, along with protests in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Europe and Africa.
He said these movements shared common concerns, including resistance to the erosion of democracy and authoritarianism, attempts by governments to portray student protests as anti-national, and declining confidence among young people in electoral processes.
Turning to India, Sarmah criticised expenditure cuts affecting public education and argued that the National Education Policy (NEP) was contributing to the growing commercialisation of the sector.
He said universities should encourage independent thought, rationality, critical thinking and the development of students’ intellectual identities. However, he argued that linking education increasingly to market requirements through skill development courses was narrowing its broader academic purpose.
Sarmah also raised concerns over the implementation of internships, alleging that some students were being placed in commercial establishments such as shopping malls and provided with work-experience certificates that did not reflect meaningful professional training.
He further criticised what he described as the silence of sections of the intellectual community on corruption, injustice, inequality and the decline of public education, despite their focus on promoting the Indian Knowledge System.
Referring to the 2026 protest organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Sarmah said the agitation against alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination reflected the younger generation’s demand for transparency and accountability in education.
He also highlighted the historical role of left organisations in resisting repressive state policies and argued that organised movements are important in advancing youth rights, educational accountability and social justice.
Sarmah said student movements across the world are increasingly challenging inequality, exploitation and what he described as neo-fascist tendencies associated with neoliberal economic policies. He argued that these movements could contribute to a broader challenge to the neoliberal framework and the advancement of socialist thought.
Devika Saikia, a Cotton University student and progressive student movement leader, welcomed the attendees and recalled Apurba Kumar Das’s contribution to the college teachers’ movement in Assam.
She said Das had played a key role in mobilising deficit-pay college employees when the Assam government took measures that affected their rights and salaries. Alongside organising protests, she said, he had emphasised the need to educate teachers and staff about the links between government policies, neoliberal economics and what he considered anti-people educational measures.
The programme was presided over by Shoheil Ahmed, office secretary of ACTA and assistant professor in the Department of English at Jagiroad College.
In his presidential remarks, Ahmed recalled Das’s organisational abilities and his contributions to strengthening ACTA.
Golapi Das, wife of the late Apurba Kumar Das, delivered the vote of thanks.