On Monday, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan informed the Lok Sabha that guidelines regulating coaching centers were issued in January. However, he avoided directly addressing questions about the recent deaths of three IAS aspirants in Delhi due to flooding.

During Question Hour, Congress MP KC Venugopal highlighted the lack of an approved building for the coaching institute where the tragedy occurred and raised concerns about student suicides. Venugopal cited a previous report showing around 80 student suicides in top institutions from 2018-2022, attributing it partly to caste discrimination.

Pradhan responded by stating that the issue raised was not directly related to the current question but reassured that the government is committed to students’ socio-psychological and mental well-being. He noted that detailed guidelines were sent to states in January and mentioned that some states already have their own regulations. He emphasized that addressing such issues requires more than just allegations.

Regarding the recent tragedy, three civil services aspirants died when a coaching center’s basement in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar flooded after heavy rains.

On another topic, Pradhan dismissed claims of a “brain drain,” asserting that Indian students abroad have made the country proud and that India offers high-quality education. He cited successful Indian professionals in global companies as examples. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, however, criticized the education system as lacking in quality and called for improvements. Pradhan welcomed suggestions and highlighted the government’s focus on improving education standards.

Source: PTI

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