KOTA: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said India’s education system puts immense pressure on children and “crushes” them, while calling for collective efforts to ensure that no student feels the way many young aspirants do today.“This is not good for the country. I want all of us to work together to ensure that no student in this country ever feels what this girl felt,” Gandhi said while addressing the “Chhatron ki Goonj” Maha Rally in Kota.He said, “the event was not a political meeting but a platform to discuss the struggles faced by students.”“This is a meeting about you, about the young people who are struggling to get a future. This evening is about you, the challenges that you are dealing with every single day,” he added.Five students — three girls and two boys — were invited on stage after Gandhi’s opening remarks. The students, who are preparing for NEET, JEE and civil services examinations, spoke about their aspirations, challenges and the money spent on coaching.While interacting with students, Gandhi said the biggest weakness of India’s education system was that it failed to encourage children’s dreams and aspirations.
Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi speaks during the Chhatron Ki Goonj rally, as part of the Congress party’s campaign on paper leaks and youth issues, in Kota, Rajasthan. (PTI Photo)
“The biggest weakness of India’s education system: it does not nurture the dreams of our children. It does not respect the options and aspirations they truly want to pursue. After that, I began thinking more deeply about the education system. Several questions came to mind. One was why the public-sector education system had declined. Another was why private education had become so expensive,” he said.Recalling his Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Gandhi said he met thousands of young people and noticed a pattern in their career choices.“Some time back, I walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, covering 4,000 kilometers. Along the way, I met lakhs of young people like you and had discussions with thousands of them. I would always ask them one simple question: ‘What do you want to become?’ Almost every time, I received the same five answers, engineer, doctor, lawyer, IAS officer, or joining the armed forces. There was never a sixth answer.”“This made me wonder why our education system, when young people are the future of the country, seems to offer them only five options. I asked this question many times and always received the same responses…The truth was that there was a big difference between their real aspirations and the five standard options they had mentioned,” Rahul added further.The Congress has projected the Kota rally as the beginning of a nationwide student convention series focused on issues including paper leaks, unemployment and education reforms.The BJP has criticised the outreach, alleging that such programmes could distract students preparing for competitive examinations.Kota, one of India’s biggest coaching hubs, has around 1.2 lakh students preparing for NEET and JEE exams across various institutes.The Congress said Gandhi’s national education campaign will focus on highlighting students’ concerns, seeking accountability and demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.The campaign will be carried forward by Congress units, including the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and Youth Congress, with conventions planned in Allahabad, Patna and Delhi, according to the party.
