Kota Coaching Centres Are 'Poaching Centres': Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar Slams Commercialisation Of Education (Video)

Targeting the coaching industry in its hub at Kota, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said that coaching centers have turned into poaching centers, becoming black holes for talent confined in regimented silos.

Addressing the 4th Convocation Ceremony of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Kota, in Rajasthan on Saturday, Dhankhar said, “Coaching centres are mushrooming. This is menacing for our youth, who are our future. We must address this malice that is worrisomely concerning. We cannot allow our education to be so smeared and tarnished.”

Opposing the idea of education being treated like an assembly line, the Vice President said that this assembly-line culture must be stopped, calling it dangerous for the future of education.

“Money is poured into billboards and advertisements in newspapers. This money comes from those who either take loans or who painstakingly save to make their future brighter. This is not optimal utilization of money. These advertisements are alluring, but they are eyesores to our civilizational ethos,” he noted.

Speaking on the obsession with marks, Dhankhar said that the chase for perfect grades and standardized scores has compromised curiosity, which is an inalienable facet of human intelligence. “Seats are limited, but coaching centers are all over the country. They prepare the minds of students for years and robotize them. Their thinking becomes completely stymied. A lot of psychological problems can arise out of it,” he warned.

The Vice President also spoke about new technology and its impact on national security. He said, “Nations will no longer be compromised or colonized by armies, as armies have now been replaced by algorithms. Sovereignty will not be lost through invasions, but through dependence on foreign digital infrastructure.”

Calling for a new vision of patriotism rooted in technological leadership, Dhankhar stated, “Technological leadership is the new frontier of patriotism. We must strive to become global leaders in technology.”

He also raised concerns over import dependence in critical sectors like defence, saying, “If we get technology-driven equipment from outside, especially in sectors such as defence, that country has the power to bring us to a standstill.”

Explaining how global power dynamics are shifting in the digital age, he said, “The battleground of the 21st century is no longer land or sea. Gone are the days of conventional warfare. Our prowess, our power, must now be determined by code, cloud, and cyber.”

The Governor of Rajasthan, Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde, Chairperson of the BoG Lt. Gen. (Retd.) A.K. Bhatt, IIIT Director Prof. N.P. Padhy, and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.