From left: Jagdeep Dhankhar, Jairam Ramesh
Credit: PTI photo
New Delhi: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday took a swipe at Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar over his remarks that going abroad had become the "new disease" afflicting students, saying it is not a disease but merely a symptom of a "diseased education system, one that is getting worse by political interference".
Speaking in Rajasthan's Sikar, Dhankhar had said on Saturday that going abroad is the new disease afflicting the children of the country. He had described it as both a "forex drain and brain drain".
Tagging a media report on Dhankhar's remarks, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said on X, "The Honourable Vice President has lamented that going abroad has become a new disease for students.
"Actually, it is an old disease that has afflicted students for many decades. I too contracted this virus in 1975, but recovered in time to come back to India in 1980," Ramesh said.
Students go abroad now for many reasons. The CUET drives many youngsters away. The gaps in the quality of education and professional opportunities are all too apparent. The way many of these institutions are run is a turn off, the Congress leader said.
"Students going abroad is not the disease, it's merely a symptom of a diseased education system, one that is getting worse by political interference," Ramesh said.
In his remarks, Dhankhar said, "There is another new disease among children - of going abroad. The child enthusiastically wants to go abroad, he sees a new dream; but there is no assessment of which institution he is going to, which country he is going to."
"It is estimated that in 2024, about 13 lakh students went abroad. What will happen to their future is being assessed, people are now understanding how bright their future would have been if they had studied here," he had said.
They have created a hole of USD 6 billion in our foreign exchange, he said.
"Imagine, if 6 billion US dollars are funnelled into improving the infrastructure of educational institutions, where will we stand! I call this a forex drain and brain drain," Dhankhar said.