Western view on education driven by business, profit: RSS chief Bhagwat

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday said the prevailing western thought about education is business-oriented and they consider the Indian education system to be a sector worth USD 3 trillion.

Bhagwat was speaking here in Madhya Pradesh at the inauguration of Samrat Vikramaditya Bhawan, the regional office of Vidya Bharati, the RSS's education wing, which will serve as teachers' training and research centre.

The RSS chief said education and health are now part of basic needs along with food, clothes and house, with people ensuring good education for their wards even by starving themselves and living in rented accommodation.

He said western business-oriented thought about education is prevailing these days, and they consider the Indian education system to be worth USD 3 trillion.

They believe this is a profitable area and profit can be earned by increasing supply, Bhagwat added.

However, Vidya Bharati, which runs a vast network of schools in the country, doesn't talk about profit and works to take education to every Indian, he asserted.

Saraswati Vidya Pratishthan's Malwa Prant secretary Prakash Dhangar said 20,000 teachers will be given training every year at the newly set up centre.

They will also conduct research on challenges being faced during teaching, he said.