BT invited Emraan Hashmi to meet students from colleges across Mumbai and discuss the problems plaguing the education system in India
Rachit Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; January 15, 2019)

His upcoming film, Why Cheat India, highlights the trails and travails of the education system in the country. Keeping in line with the theme of the film, Emraan Hashmi, who plays a wily exam paper agent Rakesh Singh, has been engaging in conversations around the problems of students in the country. Recently, when Emraan visited the Bombay Times office, we invited a bunch of enthusiastic college students from campuses across the city to engage in an interesting and constructive debate with the actor. The discussion revolved around the flaws of the education system and the vocation and solutions that we can strive to incorporate in the existing structure. Excerpts from the chat where Emraan partakes in some hard-talk with students.

‘EDUCATION SHOULD NOT BE A COMPETITION’
I am no expert on education, I dropped out of college to become an actor, but I feel examinations and cut-throat competition in rote learning doesn’t value add to a person’s life in any way. I feel doing away with the entire concept of exams, grades and scores should be explored as a solution for the educational system. It’s happening in the West, countries like US are doing away with examinations. We should inculcate a system where we encourage young minds to pursue their passions and interests. Too many parents and students are obsessed about engineering and medicine as fields of vocation. I know Arts is picking up now, but for the longest time, Arts and Commerce have been fields for those who couldn’t get through in science. Not every child is inclined towards maths and science. We’ve turned the education system into a game of winners and losers. That’s not how it’s supposed to be.

‘SOCIAL STRATA SHOULD NOT AFFECT A CHILD’S EDUCATION’
A child’s social and financial status has a large bearing on his educational prospects. There are certain educational institutions that cater only to the elite. The fees at the colleges and schools can be quite intimidating as well. My son Ayaan goes to a decent school and I feel his fees for a single year are a lot. Thank God, I’m an actor and thankfully I have the financial wherewithal to afford that kind of education. But, my point is, access to good education should not be limited by your financial status. The education system in Finland is considered to be one of the best in the world and it’s completely free. There’s no division of the quality of education between the rich and the poor. All kids, regardless of how affluent or how challenged their families are, study together. That will establish a sense of equality in individuals during their formative years and that’s the kind of step that will create positive influence on society in general. I understand that countries in Europe or even the US don’t face the challenges of population and governance that India does. But, we cannot make that as an excuse to not experiment with these ideas. We can take smaller steps and see if a radical idea like free education for all can find its feet and become a country-wide phenomenon.

‘TEACHERS NEED CARE TOO’
I don’t blame the teachers who focus on tuitions and private classes, because the salary of an average teacher can be quite paltry. Teachers are role models for the youth of the country. These people are literally training the future of the entire nation and we gravely undermine their contribution when their salary amounts to peanuts. I know we don’t have great labour laws, but the government and the authorities should ensure that the teachers and the staff, especially at public education institutions are paid well. We’re one of the biggest tax-paying economies of the world and should use our budgets to carve out better educational policies for citizens.

‘PAPER MAFIA BELIEVES THEY’RE INTO SOCIAL SERVICE’
During the prep for my role, I met a lot of people who work in the exam paper mafia. Basically, these people leak papers to students for large sums of money. But they don’t look at themselves as bad guys at all. For them, it’s merely a business opportunity. They’ve spotted a hack in the education system and they’re using it to make money. The way they see it, they’re actually helping the students out. Their logic is — there’s so much pressure with competitive exams and ranks that students are forced to commit suicides. If we’re leaking the paper and helping the student cheat, we’re doing it so he can score decent grades and not end up killing himself. As flawed as that opinion is, the guys who work in the exam paper mafia actually believe that they’re doing social service.

‘BREAK-PROOF FANS FOR SUICIDE ATTEMPTS’
My director Soumik Sen informed me during the shoot that there’s a company in Kota, Rajasthan which offers sturdy ceiling fans that don’t break when a student tries to hang himself / herself from them. Can you imagine that? They’ve turned exam pressures and suicides into a surreal business opportunity. So, in a place like Kota, where there are dozens of colleges and universities and stiff competition amongst students, you have a firm that’s selling break-proof fans to students, assuring them, that at least the fan won’t break during a suicide attempt.