Students to the Fore

In most cases, the student press, as part of the student movement, played an important role both inside and outside the campus, in the struggle for independence. Thus the basis was therefor the student papers to contribute, in the same spirit, towards the national development of their respective countries. This they do by way of dissemination of significant news and informed opinion on matters of national importance, and by stimulating student thought on a wide variety of subjects.

An outstanding example of this can be [unclear: seen in] the work of the "Gadjah [unclear: Mada"] Publishing foundation in Djogdjakarta, Indonesia, where students translate foreign text books for local study, and in the "Gadjah Mada" magazine, which publishes monthly a number of articles on economic, agricultural, technical, social and political subjects, contributed by senior students specializing in these fields. This publication has a considerable public circulations and in this way, the students are making a very worthy contribution.

In India, student publications have made their contribution in lengthy discussions of the Five Year Plan, and in fighting various social evils; in Pakistan, the student press is playing a part in the fostering of spiritual, economic and cultural unity between the two great geographic "wings" of that country; in Malaya, student publications are working with sections of the student movement in efforts to fight the "white collar" [unclear: tendancy] and to instil a pioneering [unclear: spirit in] the younger generation; [unclear: and in] the Philippines, the student [unclear: press,] along with other student [unclear: groups] represented on the Consultative Council for Youth and Student Affairs, an organization set up by the late President Magsaysay, which has a permanent secretariat in the Presidential offices.

These are not isolated examples, but are typical of the important role that Asian students are playing in their countries' development. The immense problems they face are all connected, in one way or another, with the attainment of independence, and efforts to achieve advancements in all fields after a long period of colonial domination. These are very real facts to the Asian students, and it is in this light that one must view their political opinions. In the majority of cases they are very much better informed in such matters than their counterparts in Australia and New Zealand, as discussions with them very soon show.

In many cases, however, the student press is hampered by poor facilities and finance, while censorship, or indirect pressure, exist in certain cases in Ceylon, Malaya, the Phlippines and Hong Kong, stemming either from government or university administration quarters. Nevertheless as education expands, so do student movements and the student press, and although national organizations are lacking in several of the countries represented, it was clear that attainment of these was an immediate objective, and in some cases, negotiations are now in progress.