KOLKATA: Facing criticism over issues like law and order, Saradha scam and violence in students’ politics, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said that a section of the media was running a negative campaign about the state’s education system and other areas even though a “lot of improvement” had taken place in the last three years.
Charging that a section of the media was “purchased”, she said, “Those who make no contribution to society have no moral right to advise others” and that “such forces only try to vitiate the atmosphere in their own interest”.
Speaking at a Teachers’ Day program organised by the Education Department, Banerjee said a section of the media was crossing all limits to create a division between students and teachers and between parents and the authorities in educational institutions.
“But they will not succeed in spreading canards and suppressing facts,” the chief minister said.
Urging the people not to believe in these campaigns, she said, “This is not the real picture of the state. We have improved a lot in the last three years. There may be some scattered incidents, but they can’t be generalised. Police and administration are there to look into them.
“They (media) are writing whatever they like without verifying facts, accusing someone without knowing if he was involved in anything at all,” the Trinamool Congress chief said in an apparent reference to media reports on the alleged involvement of party leaders with Saradha Group.
She expressed confidence that Bengal would once again take a lead in education in the country and be an example for the other states.
“Once Bengal used to lead in education; we have to restore that tradition. We have to achieve this target by next year,” Banerjee said while felicitating teachers and awarding best schools on the occasion of Teachers’ Day.
She lauded the teachers in the state and advised students to pay them due respect. Banerjee announced that her government would set up a ‘West Bengal University for Teachers’ Training and Education’ to streamline the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) course and the teachers’ training programme in the state.
The proposed university would bring under one umbrella all B.Ed colleges, private and government, so that a single form of teaching can be practised at all these institutions.
She claimed that her government had worked to increase the number of colleges, universities and schools in the state in contrast to the erstwhile Left Front government.
“We have topped in the 100-days’ work under MGNREGA; we are developing skills under small-scale industries and in horticulture and will definitely top in education soon,” she said.–PTI
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