Coaching culture has become a gas chamber, need to study ad spend: Dhankhar

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said the culture of coaching centres has become no less than a "gas chamber" and stressed on the need to examine the huge expenditure incurred on newspaper advertisements by them.

The Rajya Sabha on Monday held a short duration discussion under rule 176 on the deaths of three UPSC aspirants in a coaching centre in Delhi due to water logging.

Allowing the discussion, Dhakhar remarked, "I find that youth demographic dividend of the country has to be nurtured, I further find that coaching has become virtually commerce."

He also pointed out the high sums earned by the coaching centres leading to commercialisation of education.

 

"Coachings have become a flourishing industry with high returns....every time we read a newspaper front one or two pages are by way of advertisements....Every penny spent on advertisement is coming from the students, every new building is coming from the students," he said.

Comparing the coaching culture to no less than "gas chambers", the Chairman stated, "In a country where opportunities are getting enlarged this silo is turning out to be a problem..they are becoming no less than a gas chamber."

He urged the members to tell the youths about the various other employment and skill opportunities available in the country.

Dhankhar also lamented the practice of boycott and rebuff by floor leaders of certain parties when they are called for a discussion and making suggestions to ensure functioning of the house to the Chairman's chamber.
 

 

"Let me share my anguish, let me share my pain. This Chairman, when he makes a request for honourable members for a conference in the chamber, this rebuff is not only unprecedented, but dilution of Parliamentary decorum," he said.

"The fact that floor leaders virtually seek to boycott the Chairman in chamber is certainly not a healthy practice," he added.

Earlier in the day, Rajya Sabha members, including Sudhanshu Trivedi and Swati Maliwal, gave a notice under rule 267 to discuss the matter of death of UPSC students in a coaching centre.

The Chairman allowed the short duration discussion as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju was ready to discuss the matter under rule 267 citing the matter as urgent.

Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and other opposition leaders refused to discuss the matter, and Chairman made it categorically clear that anything under rule 267 will only be discussed if the major parties agree and with the consensus of the house.

During the discussion, Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala demanded a law to regulate fee structure and safety of students as well as their safety.