Selected Writings and Speeches of Satyapriya Roy (An Old and Rare Book)

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I feel it my proud privilege to have the honour to introduce to the new generation of educational workers an invaluable volume, the first of its kind, published by All Bengal Teachers' Association, embodying selected inspiring speeches and memorable writings of Late Satyapriya Roy, one of the legendary intellectuals of India, the builder of the militant A. B. T. A. and our "friend, philosopher and guide". I bow in reverence to the memory of our beloved leader. He believed that only the introduction of scientific socialism can meet the prime needs of the people. He struggled hard upto the last day of his life for this cause.

Publication of a representative collection of Satyapriya Roy's speeches and articles was long overdue. The task has, undoubtedly, been a strenuous one. He has written and spoken on different occasions explaining and elaborating what should be the national education policy of independent India. Being an eminent educationist, he was often invited to speak in many conferences, conventions and seminars on education. In this volume A. B. T. A. has sincerely endeavoured to assemble the most important and thought-provoking speeches and articles of this great educationist that remain scattered in the Teachers' Journal, the organ of A. B. T. A. and other periodicals.

I firmly believe that the education-loving people, teachers, employees, students, leaders of democratic movement and research- workers will be inspired and benefited by reading this volume. In fine, I wish this endeavour a great success.

The towering personalities always alter the present for the benefit of the humans, they contribute affluently for the posterity and stand as a Light House for the future. In the history of A. B. T. A. our revered leader Satyapriya Roy was a colossal genius under whose able leadership our Association reached a new height and he was instrumental in adding altogether a new dimension to the arena of struggle for educational and democratic rights not only in West Bengal but in the whole of the country also. A. B. T. A. under his unique leadership launched the historic 1954-struggle against the arrogant Congress Government of the State for reasonable pecuniary status of the Teachers and Educational employees, compulsory free Education upto Class VIII standard, allocation of 10% of the Central Budget and 6% of GNP on Education etc. And in 1966 under his stewardship A. B. T. A. organised a long Cease-work Programme which continued for nearly one month followed by a continuous Mass Civil Disobedience by the secondary teachers and employees against the oppressive Congress Government. More than three thousand teachers and employees of secondary schools courted arrest to create a history. The workers-peasants, youths and guardian-students and all right- thinking forces rallied behind the fighting A. B. T. A. and extended their active support. Even such an epoch-making massive struggle failed to move the then Congress rulers and A. B. T. A. under the stout captaincy of Satyapriya Roy gave the clarion call to the people, "Oust the Anti-People, Anti-Education Congress Government." And it can be rightly claimed that this historic struggle of our endeared Association was one of the factors that led to the mass upsurge to bring about the end of the Congress misrule in our State.

Statyapriya Roy was an educationist of the Himalayan height, he was a great organiser. He travelled throughout the country to organise the teachers of all shades to uplift the standard of education; he travelled abroad with the objective of enhancing the cause of education. Satyapriya Roy was the Founder-President of All India Secondary Teachers' Federation (AISTF). He was one of the architects of the 12th July Committee, a broadbased platform of the progressive Workers, Teachers and Employees. Siksha-O-Sahitya: Teachers' Journal, the mouthpiece of the Association, has recorded his erudite speeches, fundamental writings, his views on Education for the Masses and many other valuable documents.