Students are becoming educated unemployed after Class 10, says West Bengal minister
India Today
While speaking at an event in Kolkata, senior minister in CM Mamata Banerjee's Cabinet Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said that "all [students] have turned into educated unemployed".
West Bengal minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay on Saturday sparked outrage when he said that students who have passed secondary examinations are 'educated unemployed'.
While speaking at an event in Kolkata, Bengal, on Saturday, June 4, the senior minister in CM Mamata Banerjee's Cabinet said, "All [students] have turned into educated unemployed."
Days after the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education declined the Madhyamik result, Chattopadhyay stated, "Nearly 12 lakh students appeared for Madhyamik. As many as 86 per cent of students qualified. All turned into educated unemployed."
"After that, in higher secondary, graduation, post-graduation, polytechnic, etc, many students are qualifying every day. But they're just wandering around. There is no position available for graduates or masters degree holders," he added.
The minister was speaking at the inauguration of an education fair at Kolkata's Netaji Indoor Stadium. He was discussing the importance of technical education in modern times. Firhad Hakim and Humayun Kabir, two other Bengal ministers, were also present at the event.
Chattopadhyay's remark comes at a time when the Opposition is targeting the ruling Trinamool Congress for issues such as unemployment and SSC scam, in which thousands of young people were denied jobs due to flawed eligibility tests.
BJP MLA and leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, while taking a dig at the TMC, tweeted, thanked Chatterjee for admitting to the state's unemployment problem. He wrote, "On the opening day of the education fair, Minister of State Shobhandev Chattopadhyay commented '12 lakh students took the exam in Madhyami. Six per cent of them have passed. All of them have become educated unemployed'. Thanks to the Minister for acknowledging the problem of unemployment in West Bengal."
