Government must regulate coaching institutes: Kanhaiya Kumar

New Delhi: Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Saturday asked the government to regulate various coaching institutes in the country in view of the high cases of student suicides.

He said there is a flood of private coaching institutes providing training for UPSC, medical and engineering exams across the country because the condition of government institutes is not good.

"For the last several days, there are news of coaching institutes claiming to make doctors and engineers disappear after collecting fees from students. Whenever there is such a systemic failure in the country, the government should take responsibility for it," Kumar told a press conference.

He claimed students and common people are being crushed between the government and the market.

Kumar said the government should act in such cases and not indulge in whataboutery.

He also urged the government to strengthen and improve the condition of government institutes in the country.

"Today, the dreams are being sold in the country and there is a flood of coaching institutes, because the condition of the government system is very weak," he alleged.

Kumar also claimed that two students are committing suicide every hour and about 28 students every 24 hours.

"Just like the system is responsible for farmers' suicide, the same system is responsible for student suicide. This system is making students 'pressure cookers' and they are being sold dreams every day," he said.

"How many seats are there? How will the examination be conducted in a transparent manner? How many employment opportunities will be created? Such questions are not discussed," he noted.

According to Kumar, in the name of providing employment, only coaching institutes are being established in the country, which charge huge fees from parents.

"Our demand is that the government institutions of the country should be improved and strengthened, because if they are weak it will be difficult for the private sector to develop. It is very important to regulate the business of making Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, engineers and doctors in the country," he noted.

He also demanded that all vacant posts in the country should be filled in a transparent manner.

On allegations that coaching centres were exploiting youths, Kumar, who is the NSUI in-charge, cited an example saying, even if there are just about 100 vacancies for a particular job, there are lakhs of aspirants who try to take the help of coaching centres.

He pointed out the vacancies will remain the same but the private coaching centres exploit the desperation of the aspirants who want to succeed in the competition.

Kumar alleged that there was a nexus between the government and the market forces to create a culture of unfair competition.

Citing another example, he said, sometimes some youths are projected as having got a Rs one crore package to attract other helpless students to these coaching centres. How many youths get such packages, he asked.