Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a powerful message on India’s 77th Independence Day, pledging to create an education system so robust that young Indians will no longer feel compelled to seek opportunities abroad.
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi highlighted the financial burden placed on middle-class families who send their children overseas for higher education. He envisioned a future where India becomes a global hub for learning, attracting students from around the world.
“I don’t want that the youngsters of my country are compelled to go abroad to study,” Modi declared. “We want to develop an education system here so that the youth of my country don’t need to go abroad, Instead, people from abroad come to India.”
Modi pointed to the revival of Nalanda University in Bihar as a prime example of his government’s commitment to revitalizing India’s ancient educational heritage. He emphasized the need to rekindle the “Nalanda spirit” – a spirit of intellectual inquiry and global knowledge sharing – within the Indian education system.
The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of vernacular languages in the new education policy. He urged state governments and institutions to ensure that language barriers do not hinder the progress of India’s talent.
Modi stressed that the government’s wide-ranging reforms, including those in the education sector, are driven by a “Nation First” pledge, aimed at propelling India forward. He contrasted this approach with the “chalta hai” (lackadaisical) attitude of previous governments, which he said stifled progress and ignored the aspirations of the common man.
This Independence Day address marked Modi’s eleventh consecutive speech, delivered months after he began his third term. His message resonated with a vision of a self-reliant India, empowered by a world-class education system that nurtures its own talent and attracts the best minds from across the globe.