Pawar Calls for Improving Quality of Education

Pune, Dec 16 (PTI) NCP president Sharad Pawar on Monday said though expansion of education has taken place in Maharashtra, adequate efforts were not made to elevate the quality of teaching.

Addressing an event on renaming of two schools here, Pawar said Maharashtra has been at the forefront in the education sector in the country.

"I have been at the helm of several educational institutes but I have experienced that we all expanded education in the state but no efforts were taken to elevate the quality," he said.

To improve quality of education is a challenge before everybody and in the coming years, there is a need to create students who can face tough situations in their lives, the former Union minister said.

"In all this process, the teacher's role is very important," Pawar said.

One of the schools was named after businessman Cyrus Poonawalla.

Pawar said nowadays 100 per cent results are common in schools.

"As far as SSC results are concerned, 92, 94 per cent results are coming. Several students get 90, 92 or 95 per cent marks.

"It is a good thing and matter of happiness to see students securing such high mars but at the same time there is a need to see whether there has been any change in the marks giving system," the former chief minister said.

Going down the memory lane, Pawar (79) recalled his college days and long association with Poonawalla.

"We took five years to complete a four-year course as we were interested in other fields than studies but we went on earn names in the country and also outside," the veteran politician said.

The Rajya Sabha MP praised Poonawalla for his contribution to the health sector and vaccine manufacturing.

The Pune-based Serum Institute of India was founded in 1966 by Poonawalla with the aim of manufacturing life-saving immuno-biologicals (vaccines), which were in shortage in the country and imported at high prices.

"If three children take birth in the world, two of them are administered with vaccines manufactured at Serum Institute," he said.

Pawar said when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to attend a programme at the Vasantdada Sugar Institute in Pune in 2016, he enquired about Serum Institute.

"He expressed his desire to visit the institute to me and after the programme, he paid a visit to Serum Institute," he said.

Those who are at high positions and whenever they are in Pune, they make sure to visit Serum Institute, Pawar said.

"Today they are going to Serum. I expect that they should feel like visiting the Pune University also," the NCP leader said.

Speaking on the occasion, Poonawalla expressed his wish to see Pawar becoming the prime minister.

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