China reformed education in time, India is paying the price: Jitu Patwari

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari on Wednesday claimed that India was confronting many of the same challenges in education that China had faced two decades ago, arguing that Beijing's timely reforms had transformed its education system while India continued to grapple with recurring problems.

Addressing the Congress' Chhatron Ki Goonj (Voice of Students) programme in Indore, Patwari said India needed to focus on strengthening its education system instead of allowing fundamental issues to be overshadowed by political divisions.

"China faced the same challenges two decades ago that India is facing today. China made timely, comprehensive changes to its education system, the consequences of which are evident to the entire world today," he said.

The Congress leader accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of neglecting critical issues such as education and employment.

"It is unfortunate that in India, instead of focusing on fundamental issues like education and employment, the politics of fanaticism and division is being promoted in society," Patwari said.

He also alleged that around 1.90 crore young people in Madhya Pradesh were struggling with unemployment and claimed the BJP government had failed to present a concrete plan to address the problem.

Later in the day, Patwari joined students protesting at Indore's Bhanwarkuan intersection over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination.

Senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh also addressed the gathering, alleging that corruption had permeated the country's education system and claiming that question paper leaks had become an organised business.

Holding the Narendra Modi government responsible for the situation, Singh renewed the Opposition's demand for the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

"If the education minister had resigned earlier, the student movement would not have escalated so rapidly," Singh said.

Singh also appealed to climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike over examination reforms and accountability, to end his fast, saying the country still needed his leadership and contribution.

With IANS inputs