Indore, Sept 2026 : Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday criticised the country’s education and examination systems, while raising concerns over government policies affecting students and young people at the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore.
Gandhi said the Union government has a major responsibility for the country’s education system, but alleged that developments in recent years had moved in the opposite direction.
He claimed that the education system was being “rewound”, arguing that institutions and infrastructure that had been built earlier were now facing a reversal.
During his address, Gandhi displayed slides containing figures and alleged that the Union government’s expenditure on education had declined from 4.6 per cent of the budget before 2014 to 2.6 per cent currently. He further claimed that Rs 7.7 lakh crore earmarked for education had instead benefited billionaires.
The Congress leader also contrasted students with what he referred to as “Andhbhakts”, or blind followers. He said students were naturally curious, asked questions and sought answers, while accusing blind followers of living within their own worldview and spreading hatred instead of love.
Turning to the examination system, Gandhi acknowledged that candidates could also make mistakes, but said the larger issue was the loss of trust among students in the system.
Students attending the programme raised slogans saying, “Sir, we have lost to the system.”
Gandhi alleged that corrupt individuals within examination systems leak question papers for financial gain, thereby affecting the future of large numbers of students.
“If corrupt individuals remain part of the examination process and the system itself becomes corrupt, the loss will be borne by the students,” he said.
During the interaction, an MBBS student claimed that for the past eight years, 13 per cent of posts in certain recruitment processes had remained pending even after candidates completed preliminary examinations, mains examinations and interviews.
The student claimed that around four lakh young people had been affected, including 87,000 candidates directly impacted by the delay. He further alleged that the Union government had repeatedly cited ongoing court cases as a reason for withholding results.
According to the student, some candidates had crossed the eligible age limit while waiting for appointments.
Gandhi said education should not be treated as a luxury but as a right of every student. He said the government’s responsibility should extend from a child’s early education and school meals through higher education and ultimately to employment opportunities.
“Students form the foundation of the nation, and the system must provide them education and job opportunities,” Gandhi said.
He described the central theme of the Indore programme as “System versus Students”, saying the event would provide young people an opportunity to explain how various aspects of the system were affecting their education, examinations and employment prospects.
The ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme is part of an ongoing series of student-focused events. Earlier editions of the initiative were held in Kota, Dehradun and Pune, where students and young people were given platforms to raise issues concerning education, examinations and career opportunities.
