LAHORE: Speakers at a seminar organized by the Progressive Youth Alliance and Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign have demanded free education and creating employment opportunities for the people.

The seminar was held in connection with the 98th anniversary of Great Bolshevik Revolution at the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture here on Sunday.

Representing educational institutions, speakers said the PYA was not any student federation or union and its main objective was to gather progressive-minded students’ organizations at one platform so as to revitalize students politics on ideological basis.

PYA’s Lahore region organizer Farhan Gohar said the PYA wanted to solve problems of the common man without any consideration of colour, caste or creed.

He said the youth was also told that a positive change in society set up would come from the top.

He said the time had come when the youth would discuss its issues sitting in groups and through trade unions, labourers and the downtrodden segment of society.

Quoting an example from across the border, Mr Gohar said that recently the labour class in India observed a general strike for their demands and they jammed everything.

He said today’s youth had a big tool in the shape of social media. “We are not taught history based on facts but a twisted one,” he added.

Muhammad Qasim from FC College regretted that students politics in Pakistan did not exist anymore, adding that its revival was the need of the hour.

He said that students should come forward and play a positive role in shaping up society instead of engaging themselves in parties and future fantasies.

Another speaker Ijaz Ayub stressed on providing free education.

Saad Chaudhry from UMT regretted that private colleges and universities were providing costly education under the patronage of the government.

The speakers had a collective demand that increase in fees in educational institutions, especially in universities, should be withdrawn immediately. Ban on student unions should be lifted and union elections be held in all educational institutions, they said.

Students should be given opportunities of participating in art and cultural activities in educational institutions while 10pc increase should be made in the education budget.

The child labour should come to an end, the orphan children be taken care of by the government while all private banks be nationalized.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2015

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