College of Art students to protest outside Delhi CM Kejriwal’s residence against merger

The students have alleged that the merger will give rise to exclusion of artists born in poor families.

Students of College of Art's have decided to protest in front of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on college’s disaffiliation from Delhi University to Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD)

Earlier this week, the Delhi government issued a notification stating that lieutenant governor Anil Baijal has in principle agreed to the merger of COA with Ambedkar University. Students of COA has been protesting against the merger.

According to protesting students the decision of the Delhi Cabinet to disaffiliate COA from Delhi University and merge it into AUD will give rise to two major issues. First is that art education imparted in COA will become expensive and the fees will increase almost three times than what it is right now. This is a discriminatory act against students coming from lower-economic and adverse social backgrounds.

In March 2021, the Kejriwal government announced that COA would be affiliated with AUD, as the college was facing various problems.

The students have alleged that the merger will give rise to exclusion of artists born in poor families. It will also make art education expensive and exclusive to a certain class of our society. Secondly, COA has been under DU for several years, which is a Central University.

“This merger has made us affiliated to AUD which is a State University. This gives rise to questions regarding the ST reservation policy in college admission. Delhi does not have an ST state list which will avoid ST community art students from all over India to apply to the college,” alleged students of COA.

The students are also concerned that the COA was facing problems regarding funds and facilities as been conveyed to them by the Principal.

“We demand subsidized education of DU, and therefore, we are against this disaffiliation. Such discriminatory and highly undemocratic decisions will not be tolerated. We demand that the Delhi government engage with the students of COA and take immediate action on our demands,” they demanded.

On the issue of the COA-AUD merger, these students of the College of Art (COA) will hold a demonstration at 12 noon, today at Delhi CM residence.

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