“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to uplift our nation but he is an individual at the end of the day. One Modi cannot change the entire nation and we need to look for more icons like him to become the world’s best country,” said Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in his address to students of Assam University in Silchar on Friday.
Addressing the students at an event to mark the 29th foundation day of Assam University, Silchar, Himanta Biswa Sarma was sharply critical of India’s education policy in the decades after Independence, saying it was too influenced by Western culture and made students selfish.
“We are the oldest living civilisation… But post-Independence, our country adopted policies influenced by western culture. Like the west, our society lost its soul and selfless children became selfish individuals after completing education.”
Sarma continued. “India’s old Gurukul education system used to emphasise character-building of students and the children used to become better individuals after finishing education. We need that kind of education system and the present central government is making new education policy based on this idea,” he said.