Shillong, Jun 25: The Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) today called for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dhamendra Pradhan, holding the central government responsible for repeated examination controversies and what it described as the gradual weakening of the country’s public education system.
The demand was made during a press conference held under the party’s nationwide Shiksha Nyay campaign. MPCC secretary Manuel Badwar said the alleged recent NEET examination paper leak was only one example of larger issues affecting students and educational institutions across India.
According to Badwar, the central government has fallen short of the National Education Policy’s recommendation of allocating 6 percent of the country’s GDP to education. He alleged that government spending on the sector remains below the prescribed target and pointed to what he described as reduced budgetary support for the Union Ministry of Education, higher education institutions, the University Grants Commission (UGC) and several key educational programmes.
The Congress leader claimed that cuts in funding for central schemes and student assistance initiatives have negatively impacted schools and disadvantaged students who depend on government support.
The party also flagged the issue of vacant teaching positions across the country, with 8.46 lakh teaching posts unfilled, according to figures presented in Parliament.
Other matters raised include an alleged weakening of accountability in the National Testing Agency (NTA), criticism of the practice of linking the release of education funds to policy compliance by states, a growing reliance on private coaching centres, discontinuation or reduction of certain scholarship programmes for minority students, etc.
Among its key demands, the Congress sought a time-bound probe into recent examination paper leak cases and a complete overhaul of the NTA or the creation of a new transparent and accountable examination body. The party also called for immediate recruitment to vacant teaching posts and urged Parliament to hold a detailed discussion on reforms to the national examination system.
Additionally, Congress said students affected by examination-related controversies should be provided adequate support to cope with the stress.
