Education is a fundamental right in India. Since it is a fundamental right, it says a lot about the importance of education. Had it not been fundamentally right, the government would not have been held responsible for imparting it to the children and shaping their minds and behaviours to let the wheel of progress roll. We have basically developed an attitude to hold the government responsible for every act that goes awry, but no one considers himself or herself responsible for correcting the malafide practices taking place in the Indian education system.
Very recently, NEET and UGC-NET exams have been cancelled because of widespread cheating and leakage of question papers reported extensively in the media. Still, lessons have been learned by Indians. A student from Delhi University (DU), one of the finest universities in India, caught using a mobile during the test at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (SBSC) and was asked to leave the exam.
He was so furious with this decision that he wanted revenge from the authorities of the college management. So, he returned to college with his four friends and entered the restricted area of the college. They started damaging the property of the college worth Rs. 2.5 lakh, including the interactive panel of the smart classroom.
Narrating the incident with grief and sorrow, SBSC principal, Arun Kumar Attree said, “An FIR has been lodged against the accused, and his parents got informed that the incident took place on the college campus.” Moreover, an inquiry committee has been formed, and the grievances of the students will be heard patiently to make an informed decision within 15 days.
Of course! It would be considered a rare incident to happen at Delhi University, which is known for its educational integrity and openness in conducting the education machinery in a proper way, but such incidents are very common in Bihar, UP, Punjab, West Bengal, and so on.
Why such incidents are prevalent in a country like India needs introspection because Vivekanand says that we want education, through which character is formed; we learn to stand on our feet and walk to the will of our comfort and desire. Now, if education fails to deliver these basic aspects of education, we have to think and ponder over it. We cannot shift every blame on the shoulders of the government and become passive watchers of such an eventful crime in the national capital of India. This time, government machinery is not responsible for it, but the students themselves.
In India, education is treated as a tool to get employed, and the dearth of employment opportunities keeps haunting the minds of students 24x7. It further leads to vandalism and crime. And we, as a nation, struggle to set it right eventually.
Although, other principals of Delhi University colleges have opined different views on the incident, Miranda House principal opined, “We have to show patience and could not demonize students. Two-way approaches need to be evolved to tackle it. One is behavioral change, and the other is the legal process to rectify it and set an example to nip it in the bud.”
The principal of Janki Devi Memorial College (JDMC) expressed the opinion that “the university is required to create an environment to accommodate all kinds of students to grow uniformly. We have to maintain such an ecosystem in colleges for imparting education to the students.”