The tragic death of three IAS aspirants drowned in the flooded basement of a coaching centre at Old Rajinder Nagar, Delhi, on 27th July 2024, gave way to a somber session of the Rajya Sabha. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan responded amid outrage and cries for accountability; he said politics must not hijack the tragedy.

The Incident

Three dead students were identified as 25-year-old Shreya Yadav from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni, also 25, from Telangana, and Nevin Delvin, 24, from Ernakulam in Kerala. Officials said that their death was a result of the negligence on the part of the coaching center’s management. This incident, according to the district magistrate, was “unfortunate” and nothing could compensate the loss caused to these families. Condolences have been sent out to the bereaved families.

During the debate, Pradhan mentioned that state governments should ensure implementation of the existing set of guidelines for coaching centres. He said the Government of India issued advisories regarding the institution’s operation many times since 2017, wherein the need for registration, fulfilling safety standards, and monitoring on a continuous basis has been stipulated. Had such guidelines been followed, he stressed, perhaps the tragedy could have been averted.

There should be no politics. Negligence has happened and someone has to take responsibility”, Pradhan said, adding that negligence had taken place and it was important to fix responsibility to prevent such incidents in future. The Minister also called for constructive suggestions from members of the House to improve the education system and ensure safety of the students.

Politics on Swami Vivekananda Death Case

The incident drew sharp reactions from various political factions. Members across party lines demanded strict action against officials who allowed the illegal operation of coaching centres in the city. CPI member Sandosh Kumar P termed the coaching industry as “mafia,” pointing out the disparity in educational quality between schools and coaching centres

Some members, like Harish Beeran of the IUML, wanted setting up of a regulatory mechanism over coaching centres, while some others like AAP’s Swati Maliwal sought total ban on such institutions. She attributed the mushrooming of coaching centres to rampant corruption and sought police action against negligent officialsHeaderCode:

The Bigger Picture

Pradhan’s remarks were also on the larger issue of the coaching industry in the country. He reportedly said that the country does not need a parallel education system, stressing that schools and colleges by themselves should be able to meet the educational standards for which coaching centres are needed less.

As the debate unfolded, it became very clear that the coaching centre tragedy is not an issue of individual negligence but one of systemic dysfunctions within the education sector. The call for accountability and reform is louder than ever before, as stakeholders are looking to see that a tragedy such as this does not happen again.

The tragic loss of these young aspirants has thus raised an important question about the role of educational institutes and the need for a stricter vigil on them. Though Pradhan mentioned, “This government is transparent and focused on taking the country to greater heights,” how far this translates into tangible reality is yet to be observed.