SFI demands increase in seats in both higher secondary, UG level in West Bengal

The Students' Federation of India (SFI) has demanded an increase in seats for students in higher secondary and undergraduate level as the pass percentage in both Class 10 and 12 West Bengal board examination this year was 100 hundred per cent.

The SFI is the students' arm of the CPI(M).

SFI state general secretary Srijan Bhattacharya said in a statement on Tuesday, to accommodate this increased number of students raising the seats at both levels in higher secondary schools and colleges/universities are the need of the hour.

The SFI iterated its earlier demand of partially starting physical on-campus classes in educational institutions after vaccinating all the students.

"The past one and half year's experience shows a sizeable section of students cannot afford smartphones or tabs which are necessary to attend online classes and semester exams and on-campus classes are the only solution," Subhajit Sarkar, SFI state committee member told PTI.

The SFI statement described this as 'digital divide' claiming this resulted in the dropout of many students, many of them girls from poor families and can be an impediment to female education.

Alleging that both the BJP government at the Centre and TMC government in West Bengal have shown scant concern to the issue, the SFI demanded a stimulus package be declared for the underprivileged students on an emergency basis.

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