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In California, as in other states, there is a widespread attack on the higher education system. Many states and districts are forced to shut down their primary schools due to severe budget cuts. Sizes of classes are expanding beyond control, key programs are being eliminated and teachers are being laid off.

Teachers have always been the backbone of our society and have been playing the most important role in the development of an efficient workforce. Today, chronic underfunding has led to victimization of teachers.

Media and politicians continue to criticize teachers for being over paid and for underperforming. For a crisis they have not created, teachers are made to be scapegoats as is evident with the teacher evaluation model implemented in Los Angeles.

At university and community college levels there are other implications arising out of budget cuts. These include soaring tuition, cancelled classes and falling enrollment. Students who eventually manage to graduate do so saddled with a huge student loan debt.

To compound matters, they are unable to find a decent paying job and are forced to settle for low wages to avoid being unemployed. The extent of problem can be gauged with the fact that in our nation, student debt has overtaken credit card debt last year for the first time ever.

Something has to be done on a war footing to end this situation. Working class, students and teachers must join hands in a bid to fight for and defend public education. The social right of quality education must be asserted upon. Every citizen in our country must have a guarantee of high quality, reasonable cost education.

There is widespread agitation even as teachers around California are striving to protect their schools, their students and their jobs from further attacks. However, the trade unions are not going about it in the right direction.

Any serious struggle that can provide results is being blocked by the unions by trying to channel the opposition to pressurize the Republicans and Democrats. What they are doing is handing over the workers to the same politicians who are attacking our public education.

In our country, it is evident that the economic crisis is being taken advantage of by both the Republicans and Democrats. The crisis that has been created by none other than the corporate and financial elite is on its way to completely destroying social programs such as public education, selling off public assets to corporate giants and looting pensions.

In higher education, the $400 million was cut from community colleges and $500 million slashed from California State University Systems and University of California. This in turn has led to a consistent increase in tuition and continuous cutbacks.

It is time to take action and find solutions for this raging issue. Control over society must no longer be in the hands of the financial elites. Big banks and corporations must be transformed into democrat entities that are publicly owned. This is the only way resources can be freed up for education.