BJD chief Naveen Patnaik said the paper leak and systemic failures have ‘broken the trust’ in the country’s education system. He has demanded to debate this issue on priority in Parliament, fix accountability and initiate meaningful dialogue with students.
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [भारत]July 19 (ANI): Noting that there is a ‘broken trust’ in the country’s education system, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said this ‘serious issue’ affecting lakhs of students across the country should be raised with top priority in the Parliament session starting tomorrow and accountability should be held for ‘this lapse of trust’.
In a post on Twitter, Patnaik said that ‘paper leaks, flawed evaluation and failures of the system’ should never be repeated and the government should initiate meaningful dialogue with the students who have been protesting peacefully for days. He said that BJD stands strongly with the youth and students of the country.
Trust in education system broken: Patnaik
The BJD chief said every developed nation is built on a strong education system and a reliable examination process and India has seen strong progress over the years because of its education system.
He said, ‘For millions of children in our country, education is the only path to a bright future. Every developed nation is built on a strong education system and a transparent, reliable examination process. India has also made remarkable progress due to the strength of its education system. It has produced generations of brilliant doctors, scientists, engineers, teachers and innovators who have shaped modern India.’
He further said, ‘However, today trust in this system has been broken. This loss is more than a failed exam. It shatters faith in the very foundation of the education system. It tells deserving students that hard work no longer matters, and deprives them of their only ladder out of poverty. A nation that compromises the integrity of its examination system compromises its own future.
‘Have debate in Parliament, talk to students’
He said that there should be an intensive debate in Parliament on the shortcomings of the education system during the monsoon session of Parliament.
He said, ‘This serious issue affecting millions of students across the country should be taken up as top priority in Parliament. It deserves a thorough debate in the temple of our democracy, leading to concrete reforms that ensure that paper leaks, flawed assessments and system failures are never repeated. Accountability should also be fixed for this lapse of trust.
He further said, ‘Beyond politics, I urge the government to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the students who have been protesting peacefully for days. They should be given a platform to express their views. A vibrant democracy grows through dialogue, not silence – and that dialogue is most important when it involves the country’s youth. India’s children and youth are looking to us for leadership. We cannot let them down.
Patnaik said honest, open-minded dialogue with peaceful youth protesters will ‘help restore confidence in our democracy, our education system and the leadership entrusted to shape their future.’
He said, ‘@bjd_odisha stands strongly with the youth and students of the country.’
all-out attack by the opposition
Congress and many other opposition parties are demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG ‘paper leak’. Students have protested at Jantar Mantar regarding their demands. Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was on hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, has been taken to the hospital.
Congress is also campaigning against paper leaks and has started ‘Students’ Echo’ campaign. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who addressed the ‘Students’ Echo’ program in Dehradun on Friday, alleged that 152 papers have been leaked in the last decade. He questioned the government’s failure to punish those responsible and proposed technical security measures to protect the examinations.
The monsoon session of Parliament will begin from tomorrow and will continue till August 13. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)