Education in institutes should not be based on political ideology followed by their founders: Gadkari

AURANGABAD: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said education being imparted in institutes should be free from politics and it should not be based on the political ideology followed by the founders of such institutes irrespective of which party they belong to. Stating that great literature can do the work of nation-building, he said writers, historians and journalists play a key role in bringing about a positive change in the mindset of people.

The road transport and highways minister was speaking at the concluding ceremony of the three-day 95th All India Marathi Literary meet (Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan) at Udgir in Maharashtra's Latur district. "Literature is very important in politics, but politics should not be played on the platform of literature. Great literature can do the work of nation-building and nation development. But the problem nowadays is that there are good and bad things in every field. Many educational institutes belong to politicians, but the education imparted through such centres should not be based on the ideology followed by their founders," he said. "No matter which political party the founder of an educational institute belongs to, the education being imparted in his institutes should be free from politics," Gadkari added.

Giving an example of "Taare Zameen Par", a Hindi movie starring Aamir Khan, saying the film teaches us how an ideal teacher should be. If we want to end the vices in society, we need to change people's mindsets and in that writers, historians and journalists have an important role to play, he added.

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"If we want to be the number one country in the world, we have to study literature, poetry, music and history. The dream will be true only after that. There is a need for socio-economic reforms in the country. A man is superior by his quality and not by his caste," Gadkari said. For society to prosper, we have to walk on the path of development. Uplift of the poor and development of villages should happen. There is a need to raise the agriculture growth rate and the per capita income to go up. Farmers in the country should not just be food providers, but should also become energy providers, the minister added.

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Speaking on the occasion, Latur Guardian Minister Amit Deshmukh said, "The border issues between India and China, also in Assam and other areas are being resolved, so the Maharashtra-Karnataka border issue can also be resolved through talks. The Centre, as well as the governments in Karnataka and Maharashtra, should work together to find a way out." Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe said The border issue of Belgaum and Karwar has been pending for many years.