Public education in West Bengal is a devastated area which needs fundamental rebuilding: Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta

Addressing the Viksit Bharat Summit – East India Edition, organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Kolkata, Dasgupta said one of the biggest challenges before the newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government is to translate West Bengal's immense potential into reality.

"Public education in West Bengal is a devastated area, and it is not a question of improvement but of fundamental rebuilding," the minister said.

Highlighting the decline of the University of Calcutta, he said the institution, once regarded as one of Asia's premier centres of higher learning, has been reduced to a provincial university.

"We have set our sights too low. Our inheritance actually was lofty. We have come down many, many notches. To recover that is a challenge," he said.

Calling for greater private-sector participation in education, Dasgupta said the government could only create an enabling environment, while the responsibility of building world-class institutions would largely rest with private players.

"The government can create an enabling environment, but the actual work will have to be done by the private sector. We have to create opportunities and centres of excellence so that young people choose to stay, work and study here, while attracting talent from elsewhere," he said.

The minister also stressed the need to develop a pool of skilled teachers in the state and cited the progress made by neighbouring Odisha and Assam over the past 15 years as examples worth emulating.

Referring to the migration of several prominent business families from West Bengal over the years, Dasgupta said the government aims to create conditions that encourage them to return.

"We want to create a situation where it is worthwhile for them to come back and where it makes economic sense for them to return," he said.

Union Minister of State for Education Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, who also attended the summit, said the government's objective should be to restore West Bengal to the position it once enjoyed, when the state contributed 10.5 per cent to India's GDP.

"Today, Bengal is ready. Our Budget has been presented, and the launching pad is ready. Now all that remains is ignition, and that ignition can only come with your support," Majumdar said while urging industry leaders to partner in the state's growth and development.

(Reporting by Supriyo Hazra)