Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday described India’s education system as a “rigged system”, saying there was clear evidence to support the allegation.
Claiming he was not making the charge lightly, Gandhi said 152 examination papers had been leaked over the past 10 years, averaging nearly one leak every month.
According to him, every paper leak forced lakhs of students to undergo the stress of preparing for examinations all over again, while around 7.5 crore students and their families had been affected. He said most of those impacted belonged to middle-class and poor households.
‘152 Paper Leaks In 10 Years, Not A Single Conviction’
Addressing the issue, Gandhi said, “The thing that is very clear to everybody is that our education system, which was known to be one of the best education systems in the world, is today a rigged system… What we do know is that 152 paper leaks have taken place over the last decade. If you do the math. So one a month approx. Every month, lakhs of students are told that all the stress that you went through you’re going to have to go through again. After that they tell we really don’t care… 7.5 crore students and their families are affected by this. These are middle class and poor families. They put their hard earned money into this and then they literally spat on. And the best part of this is zero convictions. In the last 10 years, 152 leaks have taken place and zero convictions. So somebody is or a group of people are destroying our education system, India’s most valuable asset, destroying the lives of our students. What does the government do? Zero convictions…”
He further added, “152 paper leaks in 10 years, not a single conviction. The country’s students are under immense stress.”
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Rahul Gandhi Lists Three Demands
Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said, “Mr. Modi, let go of your arrogance. Listen to the students’ outcry, fulfill their 3 demands.
- Demand the immediate resignation of the failed Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
- Hold accountable the culprits who committed brutality against the students.
- Apologize to them for every injustice done to the students.
I, the Congress Party, and the entire opposition stand firmly with the students and these demands.”
‘Only One Door Left Is A Government Job’
Speaking to reporters, Gandhi said students were finding opportunities shrinking even after completing their education.
“Even after you have an education, you become a doctor, you become a lawyer, you learn something, you’re suddenly told that the doors that should be open to you, what your country and your government owes you- a livelihood, a job, is closed. So manufacturing is closed. Look around you, you’ll see there are only Chinese products. Entrepreneurship is closed. Take a look at who gets the money from the banks. Two or three large companies get all the money from the banks. So young person who wants to be an entrepreneur cannot. Corporate job, AI is destroying it, the IT sector. Public sector being privatized. The only choice they have is a Sarkari job. So you give them one door, you close all the doors, then you rig that system and make it unbelievably expensive. And then you expect they won’t be outside. Which world are you living in?…”
‘We Fully Support The Students’ Movement’
Responding to Union Minister Jitendra Singh’s remarks, Gandhi said the Congress was firmly backing the students’ protest.
“We are fully supporting the students’ movement. Blood was coming out of my mouth yesterday. We are fully supporting it… Jitendra Singh is irrelevant in this discussion. He is an irrelevant fellow. He can say whatever he wants. He is an irrelevant part of this discussion. The discussion is very simple. Students have clear demands. Demand number one is Dharmendra Pradhan goes. Number two is that anyone who assaulted the students is punished. Number three is that the Prime Minister must apologize to the students… Jitendra Singh wants to see whatever fantasy he wants to see. He is welcome to see it. I’m not really bothered about it.”
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