International Students’ Day

Students are the coming leaders of our country. The youth and their thoughts are what are going to take the world ahead of its time henceforth. It’s a proud thing that the world celebrates International Students’ Day on the 17th of November every year.

International Students’ Day is observed on 17th November; Source: Careerindia

I’m sure not many people must have known that such a day even exists, let alone the date. However, a lot of countries celebrate the day with utmost pride and gusto. And why not? The students and the upcoming youth of the world at least deserve a day to be celebrated in their name. After all, they are the ones who will take the world forward.

International Students’ Day is celebrated in order to highlight the significance of education for every child out there. Not only this, but it also helps spread awareness about how important education is at all stages of life and aims to provide access to education to all children at the right time.

Now that we know that there is such a day called the International Students’ Day, we should also know the story behind how this day came into existence in the first place and no, it didn't just spring upon the mind of a president somewhere around the world to dedicate a day to the students all over the world. International Students’ Day has a history relating to students, due to which this day is observed and is observed on the 17th of November every year.

It was the time of World War II in the year 1939. Hitler and the Nazis were the names that people were scared of the most. Hustler and his army had started taking over different parts of the world and had now reached Czechoslovakia. Just at the beginning of the days to take over the Czechs, the students of the University of Prague were going to commemorate the establishment of the Independent Czechoslovakian Republic.

In order to stop that from happening, the Nazis barged into the university. Very soon, violence took over the place, and a student, Jan Opletal, was killed. Considering it was a murder by the Nazis, a funeral was arranged where a huge number of students had turned up to pay homage as well as protest against the Nazi government.

It was as if the Nazis knew that something would definitely go wrong at the funeral. In preparation, they rounded up nine student leaders and murdered them without any trial. Not only this, but they also sent more than 1200 students to concentration camps where many did not survive to see another day.

This took place on 17th November 1939. Hence International Students’ Day is celebrated on the same date every year in order to honor those nine students as well as every other who spent their lives fighting for their freedom from the Nazis in World War II. This day is celebrated all around the world to honor the courage that the students showed and to celebrate the significance of education in the world.

International Students’ Day isn’t just a significant day but also marks the right of the students to be provided with proper safety, health, and social benefits. It is celebrated to promote education and to give the students a chance to learn about different cultures and the vibrancy of the same the world has.

There are thousands of students who leave their families to pursue education abroad in order to provide for themselves and their families with better opportunities. The sacrifices they make to give themselves a better future through education and the sacrifice that their families make are what the International Students’ Day is all about.

Every country honours and respects the right to education for every child; Source: Khabarhub