The International Student’s Day is globally observed on 17th November every year. It is an observation to show respect to the students who were mercilessly killed by the Nazis in 1939 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. In many countries the day is celebrated on 18th November to make it a nonpolitical event and celebrate the spirit of multiculturalism.
Why this day is chosen as International Student’s Day?
On 28th October 1939, a student Jan Opletal was holding a demonstration for commemorating the anniversary of Czechoslovakia’s independence in Prague. The Nazis suppressed the demonstration and brutally shot him. He finally died on 11th November and his body was sent to his hometown Moravia. On his funeral, students and professors came and made it an anti-Nazi movement. The Nazis closed down all the schools and universities in Czech, sent more than thousands of students to concentration camps and executed 9 students as well as professors on 17th November. In 1989, the day was first observed by student leaders and Socialist Union of Youth. In the fifth anniversary, students used the day to raise their voices against the Czech government. The demonstration took the shape of a violent clash between students and police, resulting in the Velvet Revolution. The celebrations were confined to a few nations pos the Berlin Wall collapse. Later in 2004 at the World Social Forum, Mumbai, OCLAE and the Italian Unione Degli Studenti along with several other international student bodies decided to make this day a global observance.
Celebrations in India and Across the Globe
Various demonstrations against racism of students are conducted across the globe. The role of the student bodies and unions in shaping the future of the students is also highlighted. Many issues related to the education and problems faced by students are discussed. Workshops and functions are also conducted to honor the demise of the Czech students and pray for a good future of all the students across the globe.