India will become a nation of block heads if degrees are provided to people without studying, Jammu and Kashmir High Court has said.
“Insatiable human greed has caused immense damage to our educational system…It is only to be imagined what will happen to a nation where, without studying, educational degrees would be provided to the people. The country will become nation of block heads, thus, making its future dark,” Justice M H Attar said in a recent order.
Justice Attar made the stinging observations last week while dismissing a petition filed by Manish Suri, owner of an Elementary Teachers Training College, who was seeking quashing of an FIR lodged by Crime Branch.
In October 2013, Crime Branch registered two separate cases in Jammu and Srinagar offices to investigate the illegal practices adopted by some ETT colleges in the state.
The FIRs were lodged following a report by Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education which brought to surface that money in hundreds of crores has changed hands in ETT colleges in the state.
The report also stated that candidates were lured and amounts ranging fromm Rs 45,000 to Rs 80,000 were extracted from each candidate through touts for providing them degrees and certificates by the ETT colleges which did not fulfill the basic norms laid down by National Council for Teachers Education.
Suri had challenged the two FIRs, saying two cases cannot be filed based on the same set of allegations.
However, the court agreed with Additional Advocate Gen Reyaz Khan that the plea did not stand as Suri was an accused only in one FIR — lodged in Jammu.
To underline the gravity of the situation, Justice Attar invoked great philosopher Socrates, who said, “An education purchased by money is worst than no education at all”.
The Judge also quoted celebrated English writer W Shakespeare.
“Before parting with, it is appropriate to place on record what Shakespeare has said: ‘No legacy is as rich as honesty’.
( Source – PTI )
