International Students’ Day – Tradition Or Relic?

Because of modern life and the busy everyday routines that can hold back people from enjoying festive activities or celebrating important events, certain long-established traditions that took place in times of war, oppression and crime are slowly dying out. One of the victims of this phenomena is the International Students’ Day, which, although existing since 1941 and known worldwide, is still quite unpopular in some major countries like Germany, for instance. On occasion of its 78th anniversary, this article is dedicated to shedding more light on its historical background and discussing whether International Students’ Day is still a tradition or merely a relic that only a few remember to this day. Moreover, it suggests several ways of raising more awareness and reviving the significance of this day.

International Students’ Day had its beginning at a very dark moment for humanity back in times when the Second World War was just taking place. In response to the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, one of Hitler’s many ambitions, a peaceful demonstration commemorating Czechoslovakia’s independence took place on the 28th of October 1939, which culminated in a tragedy. On that day, Jan Opletal, a young student of the Medical Faculty of the Charles University, was severely injured in the stomach after the German police opened fire at the protesting students. Although admitted into a hospital, Opletal died two weeks later at the tender age of 24 from his gun wounds. The citizens of Prague learned quickly the devastating news of Jan’s murder and soon thousands of students gathered for his funeral that later on became an open demonstration against the Nazi oppression and occupation of Czechoslovakia. Fearing that things might escalate even more, the Germans decided to act fast and so two days later they stormed the Charles University and executed nine student leaders, while another 1,200 students were sent to concentration camps. As a consequence, all Czech universities and colleges were closed and remained inactive until the liberation in 1945.

These atrocities could not be disregarded and so two years after these events, in 1941, students who had fled Nazi occupation met in London where they founded the International Council of Students. The latter was the first to call for an International Students’ Day that would be celebrated each year on the 17th of November in honor of those who lost their lives and suffered the consequences of this tragic event. The initial intention behind this movement were to always keep the memories alive of all of the students who had shown great courage during these horrific times. Students who celebrate this day are supposed to remind themselves of those deeds and use them as a motivation to stay active participants and raise their voice towards a positive change in regards to all sorts of social issues. Although still recognized to this day as an international day of remembrance, its meaning has changed in some countries, whereas others seem to have forgotten all about it. In the following section, we will observe the evolution of the International Students’ Day from its very beginning up until nowadays.

According to the United Nations, international days are usually meant to educate people or raise awareness of various global problems and issues of concern, and to celebrate the different achievements of humanity. However, nowadays national and international days are becoming more and more trending, celebrating a wide range of unusual things such as toothache, dog biscuits or even dying plants. Most holidays or international memorial days seem to have changed their meaning or value over the years according to the modern beliefs of people. So is the case with the International Students’ Day whose initial purpose has somehow evolved into a more contemporary concept, whereas its tragic background is slowly being forgotten. In order to get a better understanding of this phenomenon, it is important to take a look back in time even before the dawn of the movement and track it up until the present days.

The years before the Second World War were extremely hard for many countries in Europe, victims of the aggressive control that the Third Reich was aiming to impose through horrific physical and property crimes. Many people felt the need to express their frustration and rise up against German oppression, even though they were most certainly facing a great risk for their lives. Amidst these people were also the students of the Charles University in Prague who were brutally suppressed by the Nazi forces after a demonstration held on the 28th of October 1939 that led to 15 students gravely injured of which one died later on. Following these events, young activists organized a funeral that in reality was more of an open demonstration against the Third Reich. As expected, the response of the Nazis was violent, with the main goal to weaken the rebellious activists. Their endeavor indeed succeeded, leading to multiple higher education facilities being closed not only in Czechoslovakia but also in Poland, whereas other universities were strictly controlled by the authorities. Having taken the right of education from thousands of young people, the Nazis sparked the flames of student uprisings that established the foundations of several organizations that emerged in the following years. Refugee students along with other students decided to take action and fight against fascism while defending the rights and interests of all people who wish to actively participate in academic education.

As mentioned previously, International Students’ Day was first introduced in 1941 by the International Council of Students. The latter was set up by the British National Union of Students with the intention of unifying refugee students and encouraging student activism in times of war. Although the student organization lasted only until 1944, its successor, the International Union of Students, continued the initiative to make the day an official United Nations memorial day by working closely with the National Unions of Students across Europe. Many years after the Second World War the tradition continued to exist and students all across Europe honored the tragic events that took place on the 17th of November 1939 by celebrating International Students’ Day. This day represents the courage and bravery of the young men who sacrificed their lives on that day and urges those who celebrate it in the future to respect the beliefs of their ancestors their legacy by remaining activists fighting for a better future for young students.

Over the years the awareness of International Students’ Day spread across the European continent and many universities proudly celebrated this day. The movement became even more popular since it was the trigger for the Velvet Revolution that took place in Czechoslovakia in November 1989. Exactly 50 years after the unfortunate events that took place in Prague a few months after the beginning of the Second World War, students from all universities celebrated the anniversary of this tragedy with a peaceful demonstration. The latter turned into a series of organized strikes that took place over a six-week period until the 29th of December 1989, demanding freedom and acknowledgment of human rights. The Velvet Revolution succeeded and communism in Czechoslovakia quickly gave way to democracy, which made International Students’ Day even more significant for now Slovakia and Czech Republic. Although the initiative continues to prosper 78 years later due to the multiple national unions of students participating actively every year in celebrating this day and raising awareness of various national and local issues with the help of the European Students’ Union (ESU), some countries like Germany are far from duly acknowledging this day.  

Nowadays, universities often see this day as an opportunity to promote multiculturalism and diversity within international student communities. It is true that it is important for such an event to be remembered, yet in this day and age it is also crucial that the issues students are facing are also taken into consideration. This is why the European Students’ Union aims at voicing the demands of students from different countries every year through the celebration of International Students’ Day. With a different motto every year, the organization aims at raising awareness of various problems within the student communities at a European level. Last year, for example, the ESU along with the Organizing Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU) called for a healthy environment for all students under the motto: “Mind our Education – Educate our Mind”.

The observance of this day has undoubtedly changed over the years, and perhaps for the better as there are more and more issues that have the potential chance of being tackled through the campaigns organized around the celebration of International Students’ Day. Yet, there are countries that still remember and acknowledge the bravery of the people who sacrificed their lives in 1939 and the ones who inspired by these acts launched the movement just two years later. In the following section, we will discuss in depth the modern concept of this day, the activities used to promote student activism and its impact on the student society.

With the world evolving and developing, one’s beliefs and mentality, too, goes through changes that might reshape people’s perception of the different aspects in life. As a result, many modern beliefs are taking over old beliefs, be it in terms of religion, science or history. Education is one of these facets that has been transformed over time in multiple different ways on a global scale, for example in terms of tutors’ methods of teaching, the incorporation of technologies, or the acknowledgement of students’ rights. Yet, in some countries these things are often neglected or simply do not exist at all. This is why various organizations such as the ESU, ANSO, ESN and many others strive to promote student rights and improve the quality of life of students all over the world by using events such as the International Students’ Day as an awareness tool.

Probably the most important aspects that are highlighted by such events are students’ rights, needs and diversity. Although living in the 21st century, millennials, too, are subject to inequality and divisiveness. Student-led movements, on the other hand, organized by young students eager to fight against long-established norms and ideas, have been present for a very long time. Strikes and demonstrations for civil rights like the Greensboro sit-ins in 1960, the Iranian Student Protest in 1999, or a very recent protest that took place in South Africa in 2016, have led to great reforms in many countries. Student activism has proven to be successful not only in battling with global issues but also in uniting young adults for greater causes. This is why memorial days such as International Students’ Day and its many versions across the different cultures should be celebrated and used for promoting civic engagement among students not only in the present but also in the future.

Today, International Students’ Day is still observed in many countries across the world, yet it is interpreted differently due to people’s culture. The dates, names and ways of celebration may vary, however all of them have one common goal, namely to unite all students and encourage them to achieve great things together. In the past, International Students’ Day in particular was celebrated only by few countries in Europe due to the crisis that the International Union of Students suffered in the years between 1989 and 1991 when the organization lost most of its funding as a result of the fall of Communism. Yet, in the years after 2004 national and international student unions allied and called for for worldwide revival and celebration of International Students’ Day. Currently, the Day is celebrated in countries like Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Austria, Denmark and Lithuania, whereas other European countries such as Germany seem to have never heard of it.

Other countries also have a Students’ Day, however they celebrate it on different dates and using different names. For instance, in India, a World Students’ Day is celebrated on the 15th of October, whereas in Russia, Belarus, Armenia and several other countries, the Students’ Day is known as Tatiana Day and celebrated on the 25th of January. In Bulgaria the Students’ Day is celebrated on the 8th of December. What is interesting in this case is that in the years after 1944 there was an attempt for the date to be changed to the 17th of November in accordance with International Students’ Day, however this suggestion was overruled since students had got used to the original date for celebration. Whereas some of the abovementioned countries duly appreciate this day and encourage the young generations to honor the tradition every year, others like Bulgaria mostly celebrate this occasion just for the sake of having fun without any profound purpose behind it.

Having said that, it could be said that International Students’ Day nowadays is not enjoying the observance that it deserves. Even though the majority of the countries that celebrate it are doing that with the intention of promoting multiculturalism and diversity, there are those who acknowledge the sacrifices of the young men who lost their lives in 1939 to a great cause and remind young adults how important student activism is.

Moreover, there are twice as many activities organized by universities, communities and organizations aiming at emphasizing the importance of this date or promoting students’ engagement in various creative activities. Memorials, campaigns, even students’ elections are only a small part of the ways to promote activism among young adults in future. Yet, a broader awareness of International Students’ Day should be raised, for the more countries get involved, the more students will be able to benefit from a better educational system. To that end, we will discuss further below how this date can be made more popular through contributions by the educational institutions, student organizations or all sort of external stakeholders that express interest towards improving education.

The CIA was partially involved with the International Student Conference (ISC) throughout the years of its existence from the mid-1950s to 1967. The latter was the year when it became clear that all of ISC’s funding came from the Central Intelligence Agency that had spent some 400 000 USD every year, according to the New York Times. This revelation struck the American nation as a bomb and sparked many conspiracy theories of money, among other things. In order to understand better why these events took place, it is important to first look at the birth of the ISC as an alternative organization of the IUS.

The International Union of Students was established in Prague in the years after the Second World War when Communism was predominant in Eastern Europe. Therefore, a large part of the 62 countries that participated in the forming of the organization were partisan Communists, and some feared that this might lead to splitting the IUS at its very beginning. Despite the numerical superiority, these countries did not enforce their political views and the rest of the National Union of students (NUS) decided to accept a communist leadership as a form of a good will gesture towards its allies during the Second World War. In the following years things changed drastically for the IUS as it turned from an independent organization to one ruled by communists and funded by several different governments. The movement split in 1950 when the IUS became more openly communist and all Western countries had left the organization. The same year it was decided that a new organization formed by 21 western NUSs would be founded as an alternative under the name International Student Conference. In the following years the two student organizations suffered major changes in that the IUS got smaller and political and the ISC grew in size and political diversity. It was now time to ask how the ISC got its financial support. With the former members of the IUS always criticizing the organization for being funded by communist governments and therefore controlled by them, it was supposed that their new student organization would be financially independent. Yet, it surprisingly received large amounts of funds over the years when its staff was of only 50 people back in the day. In 1967, Sol Stern, a reporter from the Ramparts magazine, addressed the topic and decided to take on an investigation that would show where these funds came from. After several months, Stern came up with the shocking revelation that the CIA was actually behind everything.

Knowing the truth, many other newspapers and reporting agencies started investigating the whole story on their own and later on through subsequent findings it became clear the CIA was gradually involved with the ISC, and did not have direct influence on the workings of the organization at first. Supposedly their primary motives were the presence of non-communist alternatives on a global scale. However, later on their involvement seemed to have increased as they were investing as much as 400 000 USD every year in the organization, according to calculations of the New York Times. Having this in mind, several different theories emerged on the surfaces suggesting that the CIA had been laundering black money through the ISC, or that it was merely using its participants as informers who were giving out information about the personal lives of thousands of people and exposing their political views.

Although still celebrated in present days, International Students’ Day does not enjoy as much attention as other days of remembrance. Yet, such designated days turn out to be quite important for society since through them people can unify worldwide and mobilize around important issues and topics that concern the international community, such as civil rights, environmental or health issues. International days around the world are mostly used by non-profit organizations in battling problems emerging from different relevant causes.

As one of the major organizations fighting for international peace and human rights, the United Nations (UN) have proclaimed multiple international observance days with the purpose of educating people on issues in the fields of health, intellectual property, education etc. Yet, looking through the list of international days observed by the UN, it becomes apparent that International Students’ Day is missing and that it is the World Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims that is mentioned under the 17th of November. Without the support of a major organization like the UN, such traditions and events valuable for human history are threatened with extinction. This is why it is crucial for various external stakeholders, educational institutions and student organizations to promote International Students’ Day to an extent that it becomes as great and significant as it was more than 70 years ago.

Currently, there are several major organizations such as the World Health Students Alliance (WHSA), the European Student Union (ESU) or the Organizing Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU) that not only acknowledge this day but also work towards promoting different issues related to students and finding solutions for them. For example, in 2017 OBESSU launched a global call for action on International Students’ Day, demanding full access to education for everyone. The following year the same organization together with the ESU launched another campaign but this time focusing on students’ mental health and demanding a healthier environment for everyone. Every year, different activities like demonstrations, student elections or even creative activities are organized by students all over the world. Of course, in order to expand the spectrum of their targeted audience, organizations mainly advertise their campaigns through social media. With the help of the most popular platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, more than 15 million users were reached out with the use of hashtags such as #InternationalStudentsDay or #access4all, following another campaign launched in 2016 focusing on Student Welfare. In addition to social media activity, various workshops, conferences, demonstrations and online campaigns have also significantly contributed to the communication of particular issues into the public eye. However, in order to gain a better recognition across the world and truly urge people to focus on all of the issues concerning education, International Students’ Day must be observed by everyone closely related to education such as educational institutions or university platforms, as it is simply impossible for the few organizations supporting it currently to succeed in spreading the message to a greater audience across the world.

Cultivating awareness of the many issues related with education requires first and foremost the active involvement of the educational institutions and their staff as they have the most influence over students. Teachers, for instance, can try to incorporate interesting materials discussing the history, meaning and importance of International Students’ Day in their lessons. A better understanding of this day will help students decide if they wish to support this movement and if so what they will be fighting for. Furthermore, the encouragement by teachers and educational institutions as a whole can lead to effective collaborations between students across the world or between students and national or international student organizations. Universities, on the other hand, can also contribute to the promotion of International Students’ Day by partnering with some of the major students organizations. By creating such networks each educational institution can boost the awareness of this date in the specific region it is located and encourage a sense of moral obligation in young adults.

It is a well-known fact that the Internet is one of the most powerful tools in the age of information, used by many people who wish to spread a particular message that cannot only be seen or heard on a global scale but also make an impact on millions of people. This is why most of the organizations involved in promoting the educational issues around International Student’s Day are relying on social media platforms where they can reach a much greater audience in comparison to the traditional activities such as demonstrations, seminars, discussion or educational events. External stakeholders such as board members, parents, families, teachers, local businesses that have invested in education, organizations and more can take advantage of such marketing campaigns and implement social networks in their own projects or approaches related with International Students’ Day.

As a university portal we believe that active involvement in such great causes is crucial even by the web portals related to education. With thousands of users scrolling through our pages, there is a much greater opportunity for International Students’ Day to be popularized within a shorter period of time if we dedicate some part of our content to the topic. Here is how universitaet.com will contribute to the acknowledgment of this day and student participation in its celebration. The first step in raising awareness of this date will be the inclusion of written content in our blog in order to provide detailed information on the initiatives launched by organizations such as OBESSU. The articles will be published prior to the celebration of International Students’ Day and include the relevant hashtags used in the campaigns of the organizations themselves. Furthermore, additional blog articles will be published after the event to monitor how successful the campaigns in question have been.

A second approach towards a successful promotion of this date will be the advertisement of the many events related to this day such as workshops, demonstrations, online campaigns organized by students and universities. Every year we will contact the universities at the end of September or early October to see what they have planned for the upcoming International Students’ Day. In addition, these events will be published on the main page of our portal in a special section that will also include several categories that provide easy access to users.

The incorporation of International Students’ Day in the calendars of nations across the world is important for several reasons. First and foremost, remembering and commemorating the great deeds of our ancestors every year will keep the embers of tradition glowing and even spark a new flame for continuing the long-established beliefs and using them against contemporary issues arising in various aspects of human life, one of which being education. Secondly, reviving the significance of this event will encourage more and more students to participate and be a part of an active student society fighting for many causes such as a better educational system on a global scale, healthier environment for students, and equal access to education. Last but not least, although the modern concept of this movement has slightly shifted from its initial one, International Students’ Day now also serves as a contemporary tool for celebrating multiculturalism and diversity. Nowadays, thanks to various student organizations this date has become a symbol of change within student societies. Using national and international memorial days as awareness tools exert a great impact on society as it helps the general public to be better educated on issues of concern.