Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that the Business Blasters programme should also be implemented in universities and colleges so that the entrepreneurial ideas of students don't hit a roadblock after they finish school.
While attending the 14th convocation at the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) in the national Capital, he said that education in the country has not seen any significant changes since the time of Macaulay, who introduced a Western-style education system in British India.
“In Delhi, the education sector has undergone many reforms and improvements. The Delhi Government schools, which were in a dilapidated state once, are now prime institutes of education for the poor and the rich alike. You will now see the children of a rickshaw driver, a judge, an IAS officer etc sitting and studying on the same bench, under the same roof in Delhi Government schools,” said the CM.
“A silent revolution is taking place in Delhi’s education sector. The mindset of students is being changed, and they are being motivated to grow into the ideas of not simply seeking jobs, but that of giving jobs. Hence, students are being prepared in the direction of becoming entrepreneurs and businesspeople,” said Kejriwal.
“For this, we started an initiative called the Business Blasters programme. Under this, seed money of Rs 2,000 per student is given to 11th and 12th graders, and they are then urged to ideate a startup. This leaves the possibility for groups of these students to come together to pool their 2,000 each in order to form strong business teams,” he said. "Government school students have uptill now developed 52,000 business ideas. I think the Business Blasters programme should also be implemented in colleges. This will ensure that their ideas do not hit a roadblock when they enter university. They will be prepared when they step out of college,” said Kejriwal.
“The education system just ensures that students pass exams and get degrees. There is a need to work on students and chart their career programme before they leave college. If they want to pursue higher education, it's good. But if they want to work, they should be worked upon. I think a target-oriented approach is needed," he said. Motivating students graduating from GGSIPU to take up challenges faced by society and resolve them, Education Minister Manish Sisodia said graduating students were taking their first step towards the real world.
