Student unions stage statewide road blockade against cluster system

PNS, Ranchi

Protests erupted across Jharkhand as students and youth, led by All India Students’ Association (AISA) and InquilabiNaujawan Sabha (RYA), staged a statewide road blockade against the cluster system in colleges, alleged paper leaks in competitive exams, and irregularities in Central Board of Secondary Education’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.

Demonstrators blocked major roads in several districts, while in Ranchi, Albert Ekka Chowk remained jammed for nearly two hours, disrupting traffic. The protest also saw participation from students who had earlier expressed their anger over these issues on online platforms.

Addressing the gathering, AISA state president Vibhā Pushpa Deep said that the recent resolution by the state’s Higher and Technical Education Department is pushing Jharkhand’s education system towards privatization and a corporate-driven model. She alleged that restructuring of academic and non-academic posts, reduction in seats, and the proposed cluster system for colleges would disproportionately impact marginalized communities, especially women, by increasing dropout rates and limiting access to higher education.

AISA state secretary Trilokinath criticized the promotion of vocational and self-financed courses over regular programs, stating that it would impose a heavy financial burden on students. He further pointed out that the merger of B.Ed and M.Ed colleges with Ranchi University could significantly increase course fees—from ₹15,000–25,000 earlier to as high as ₹1.5–2 lakh—making education less accessible and undermining the principles of social justice and equal opportunity. The protest in Ranchi saw the presence of several student leaders, including Vijay Kumar, Sanjana Mehta, Sonali Kewat, Srishti Bhattacharya, Chandan Swarnkar, Nikhil Raj, Roshan Kumar, DSPMU president Shaleen Kumar, Shubh Kumar, Rajdeep, along with hundreds of students.