Politics is an important institution of our daily life. Everything that we sustain is directly or indirectly linked to it. It has also imbibed some negative aspects which often get completely ignored. These negative regularities keep most of us away from the area of politics. But, one can say that it is just our poor understanding of the subject that makes us despise it. Thus, we are nothing but ‘political illiterates.’
Politics operates in many ways and one among them is student politics. Be it at the state level or the national level, the implications of the same have always affected the nature of politics in any country.
The politics that happen in our college and university campuses form a base for the younger generations to enter the arena of national politics. There is a correlation between the two and both are requisites for changes in our country.
If we notice patterns across the world, student politics has witnessed some major changes in the global arena. To seek any political, social, educational or economic change in the perspective of human life, student politics plays a significant role because it directly influences the national situation.
For example, one could take the recent stipend-hike issue of research scholars in India, wherein they were disappointed with a particular government decision. Scholars protested against it and sought reformation for that policy. If there were no reactions of any sort against aggressive policies of the government, then there would only be changes which are not people-centric.
When we look at the national scene in politics, the government is decided on the basis of the electoral process which provides us with future leaders of the country. On the same track, elections are necessary for the formation of students’ unions in colleges and universities, which act as small models of government at the campus level.
For instance, in a country like India, the national parties have their own students’ associations to get a glimpse into the younger generation to see how they react to various situations and the way they think.
It isn’t news that India is undergoing a demographic dividend right now, and is, currently, a country of the youth. As a result, no party, including the front-runners, would want to lose a chance to tap into this growing resource. Both the BJP and the Congress have their student factions in various colleges with the Bharatiya Janta Youth Morcha (BJYM) and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) playing their roles as student associations for both parties respectively.
Student politics has always been something that the society sees with a myopic eye. Students avoid getting involved in it. It is very sad to know that in India, institutions like the IITs and the IIMs don’t allow student politics in their campuses, which prevents young minds from having a say in nation-building.
Education is something which focuses on the overall development of children, and that includes making them politically mature. It is also needed because it helps in creating educated leaders for the growth and development of the country.
Our development in all spheres, like those of health, education and the economy, is guided by political policies. There is no institution that is not affected by politics or is devoid of it. Since student politics directly affects both national and state-level politics, it becomes necessary for students to expose themselves to its manifestation and to continue taking extensive part in it.