New Delhi: TMC MP Saugata Roy on Thursday accused the government of turning the education system into a money-making enterprise.
Participating in a debate on the demands for grants for the Union education ministry in the Lok Sabha, the MP from West Bengal's Dum Dum constituency highlighted the lack of world-class institutions and questioned why India did not have a single centre of learning comparable to Harvard, Cambridge or Yale.
Roy warned that the "brain drain" would continue unless the standard of education was improved.
"Education in India has dwindled to a point where it has become a place to make money," the Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP said.
Roy emphasised that the budget allocation of 2.7 per cent of GDP for the education sector was insufficient to elevate academic standards.
He also highlighted the significant number of Indian students studying abroad, claiming that 8,96,000 (8.96 lakh) were seeking overseas education.
CPI (ML)-Liberation MP Sudama Prasad decried the increasing cost of education and claimed that schools for poor and Dalit students had been shut due to alleged space constraints.
He demanded the cancellation of the medical entrance exam National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) due to paper leaks. He also sought scrapping of the National Testing Agency for failing to conduct exams properly and without paper leaks.
Prasad called on Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to take moral responsibility for the paper leaks and resign.
Defending the government, BJP MP Anil Firojiya said, "Our 2,000-year-old education system was ruined by the British but Prime Minister Narendra Modi helped restore it." He also accused the Congress of failing to strengthen the education system.
Congress MP Priyanka Satish Jarkiholi raised concerns over exam paper leaks in 15 states and questioned the government's efforts to make education accessible for rural populations.
Meanwhile, AAP MP Manvendra Singh Kang urged the government to address financial issues at Panjab University and expedite the release of funds for schemes such as PM POSHAN and PM SHRI.
He also advocated for the central government to bear the costs of competitive exam preparations, referring to the deaths of three civil services aspirants in the basement of a private coaching centre building in central Delhi.
BJP MP Bharti Parthi requested that the progress seen under Modi's leadership be extended to her constituency, Balaghat.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Anil Desai highlighted the need to bridge the gender gap in education and improve basic facilities in Maharashtra schools.
He pointed to the alarming dropout rates and attributed that to the lack of essential services such as drinking water.
Samajwadi Party MP Afzal Ansari criticised the government for insufficient allocation of funds in the budget for the education of marginalised communities.
He noted that the provision for education of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was reduced despite the need for increased support.