Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar called for a uniform education system for all so that children of poor and downtrodden sections of the society could compete with the best talents in the country.
"There prevail two education systems in the country.... The children of rich families go to public schools for learning, while their counterparts from the poor and downtrodden background study in government schools lacking quality education," Kumar said, laying the foundation stone for the proposed central university premises at Panchanpur village in Bihar's Gaya district.
It is time that the quality of education is made uniform for all sections of the society.
"There must be such an education system in place in which talented wards like Eklavya, a famed archer from poor background in the Mahabharata, need not have to severe his thumb and gift it to his guru Dronacharya in lieu of learning the craft under the shadowy image of the latter," she said.
The education system should be such that it would not discriminate between prince Arjuna and Eklavya.
"Let there be an education system in place where both archers Eklavya and Arjuna get equal opportunity for learning and attain success in individual life and contribute to the development of the country," she said.
Bihar education minister P K Shahi was present on the occasion and addressed the gathering.