Rahul Gandhi slams India’s education policies, calls for inclusive, public-funded education system

During his trip to Peru and Chile, Indian National Congress (INC) leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi criticised India's education and economic policies. 

He warned that these policies are creating a system that marginalises the majority of the population and destroys small businesses, The Telegraph reports.

"The government should spend much more money on education than it currently does. It shouldn't just abrogate the responsibility of education to private players," he said, calling for high-quality, low-cost public education that is accessible to all Indians.

Gandhi criticised the current system of education for favouring upper caste learners while excluding students from middle and lowered castes, and tribal & Adivasi communities.

"India has a social system with upper castes dominating, and middle and lower castes, which form the bulk of the population, are not represented in education. I would like to include the history and traditions of our Adivasis, tribal people, middle castes, and lower castes in the system."

He also stated that the deterioration of scientific temper and rational thinking over the last decade has caused harm.

Gandhi stressed the importance of preserving critical thinking in India's education system. "This is under attack in India—the idea of free thinking, the idea of being open, the idea of being scientific, of being logical, this is under tremendous attack in India currently. And that's something that we want to defend," he stressed.