Protests over education issues spread across states after Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation
New Delhi: The resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister has failed to quell unrest over education-related issues, with protests now spreading across several states and opposition parties demanding the resignation of state education ministers.
In Chhattisgarh, the Congress has intensified protests in the state capital, Raipur, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Gajendra Yadav over the condition of the state’s education system.
The demand follows the reported suicide of a student from Jagdalpur, who allegedly took the extreme step after being unable to secure the desired result in the NEET examination. The Congress has argued that the state education minister should accept moral responsibility for the incident.
Meanwhile, in Odisha, both the Congress and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have sought the resignation of Education Minister Nityananda Gond over alleged errors in state school textbooks.
According to opposition parties, more than 1,600 errors have been identified in textbooks for Classes 1 to 8. The reported mistakes include references placing Odisha’s hills on a map of Jharkhand and the inclusion of a Hindi song in a Class 5 textbook. The BJD’s student wing has announced statewide protests over the issue.
In Punjab, the Congress has also demanded the resignation of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains following the alleged leak of a pharmacy examination question paper.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has rejected the allegations against his government, accusing the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring to politically target the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration.
The protests in the three states stem from separate incidents, but together reflect growing political pressure over issues relating to examination integrity, academic standards and the administration of education. The respective state governments have yet to announce any decision regarding the demands for their education ministers’ resignations.