Varun Gandhi wants PPP model in education sector

BJP Member of Parliament Varun Gandhi on Monday called for the adoption of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in the education sector.

Varun also pointed out that the number of students opting for government-run schools has dropped by 35% in the past 12 years due to crumbling infrastructure.

Speaking at the event — The Road to India’s Future: Opportunities and Challenges — organised by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), he said greater importance must be given to skill development in the competitive world.

“The current GDP uses 4% of the money for education and this is very less, compared to other nations. We can give better facilities if we have more funds. We can include the public-private partnership model,” he said.

While 5.6 lakh teaching positions remain vacant in the country, about 58% of the 6.5 lakh guest teachers have not completed their graduation, Varun said, underscoring the paucity for quality teaching resources.

Pointing out that there are 13 crore unemployed youth in the country aged between 18 and 29, he said skill development should focus on competitive areas like data science, cyber security and machine learning.