Commercialisation of education adversely impacting its quality: VP Jagdeep Dhankhar
Jaipur, Oct 19: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said commercialisation of education is adversely impacting its quality which is not good for the future of the nation.
Speaking at a function organised by a private educational institute in Rajasthan's Sikar, Dhankhar said, "I see all around that what began as charitable work has now become commerce. Education becoming a business is not good for the future of the nation."
Stating that education was never a source of income but a medium of sacrifice and charity to build a healthy society, Dhankhar rued that today it has become a commodity which is being sold for profit, thus adversely impacting its quality.
"In some cases, it is even taking the shape of extortion. This is a matter of concern," he said.
"While educational institutions should be financially sustainable, it is the responsibility of the industry to nurture them from time to time. Corporate houses should use their CSR funds liberally to build institutions and fund new courses. This will help the nation progress," Dhankhar said.
He also said that industries are the biggest beneficiaries of research and innovations, which give power to the nation in front of the world.
Students today want to study abroad but there are many opportunities in India and institutions and industry leaders should make them aware about them to stop the brain drain and loss of foreign exchange, the vice president said.
"The youth generally run behind 8-10 types of jobs but there are huge opportunities across various sectors. The basket of opportunities is getting bigger everyday but most of our students are not fully exposed to it," Dhankhar said.
"There is a need to create awareness among the youth about the ever-increasing basket of opportunities. I call upon the educational institutions and industry leaders to hold seminars and make the students aware about the different avenues available to them," he added.
Calling for optimum use of technology to give quality education to the students, the vice president also praised the National Education Policy which he called a "game changer".
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
