Indian Law: Support or Obstruction? — The Struggle of Farmers in Nashik

Schools and Colleges in the Hills and Environmental Degradation

Today, many political leaders purchase land cheaply in the hills and forest areas for their personal financial gain and establish private schools, colleges, and commercial projects there. At first glance, this may appear to symbolize the spread of education and "progress," but the reality is quite different.

Such privately established educational institutions are not acts of great social service or nation-building, but rather a means of accumulating more and more personal wealth out of selfish motives. Turning the sacred mission of education into a tool for profit is dangerous for society.

To build schools or colleges, large-scale deforestation takes place on hill slopes. The natural structure of the mountains is disturbed. Natural water sources, streams, biodiversity, and wildlife are directly affected. In the long run, this leads to ecological imbalance.

Educational institutions are indeed necessary for society, no one can deny this. However, is it justifiable to sacrifice hills and forests for this purpose? The true aim of education is to foster social progress, values, and sustainable development. If education comes at the cost of environmental destruction, its very purpose remains incomplete.

Therefore, using alternative sites for establishing schools and colleges, adopting eco-friendly construction, and maintaining the balance of natural resources is the real progress. Otherwise, in the future, under the guise of such "progress," we ourselves will suffer the consequences. It must be understood that such private educational institutions of leaders are essentially instruments for amassing personal wealth, with little relation to social or national interest.

– Shramik Kranti – Garibon Ki Aawaz