British rule ruined India's education system: RSS chief Bhagwat

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has accused the British rulers of ruining India's education system and said "70 per cent" of the population was literate before they dominated the country.

Bhagwat addressed a gathering here on Sunday after inaugurating a multi-specialty hospital at the Aatam Manohar Jain Aradhana Mandir complex.

"...Before British rulers dominated this country, 70 per cent of our population was literate, educated. And on the basis of that education, everyone used to find ways to earn their livelihood and unemployment was almost negligible," he said.

"At that time, as per the education system prevalent in England, their literacy rate then was around 17 per cent. After the British came, they dumped our education model here but implemented it in their own country...," the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader said.

He said the education system which existed in India when the British started to rule the country not only made people self-reliant and employable, but was also a medium of knowledge. But the British rulers ruined that system, Bhagwat said.

The RSS chief also stressed on the importance of health and education for all in society, underlining that these should reach everyone and be affordable.

He claimed that earlier, people used to take to these two sectors as a sense of duty but in the present time, these have become businesses.

Bhagwat also lauded the work done by Aatam Manohar Muni Ashram.