“I daresay that humanity hasn’t matured.”
Pope Francis, acknowledging Catholic priests’ sexual abuse of nuns after a mass in Abu Dhabi (February 5)
“My resignation is not an attempt to be heroic or to make a statement. It is simply the only thing I felt anyone in this position must do. It is not just for one individual, Jignesh Mevani’s freedom, but the larger freedom of ideas, including my freedom, being curtailed.”
Hemantkumar Shah, principal of HK Arts College, Ahmedabad, who resigned after the college management acceded to the demands of BJP student leaders and cancelled an event to be addressed by Congress MLA and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani (February 12)
“When I was a kid there were lots of superheroes that I wanted to be. But I can tell you right now, from where I stand, with all my experience, the real superheroes are teachers — they’re the ones that change the world.”
Hollywood star Hugh Jackman, unveiling the Top 10 finalists for the Global Teacher Prize 2019 (February 20)
“I was an eighth-grade dropout… no education, forced to play tennis, and no choice. So, I always correlate ‘no education’ with ‘no choice’. Education endows you with choice… My lack of education was probably the greatest vehicle to my commitment and interest in the education sector.”
Andre Agassi, former international tennis star, at the launch of Square Panda’s India operations (The Economic Times, February 21)
“The sedition law is a low IQ piece of legislation. If we want to improve the national intelligence quotient, we should scrap it.”
Well-known author Arundhati Roy, on the Uttar Pradesh police filing sedition charges against Aligarh Muslim University students (Outlook, February 25)
“Yes, we are doing politics over education. It is our responsibility to bring education into politics and we want to do it.”
Manish Sisodia, Delhi deputy chief minister, allocating 26 percent of the budget to education (February 26)
