Former Education Minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia said on Thursday that if India aspires to become a developed country by 2047, a teacher’s salary should be higher than that of an IAS officer.
He made these comments during the ‘Shikshak Samman Samaroh,’ an event organised by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to mark Teachers’ Day.
“Today, there is a lot of talk about India of 2047. The teachers who are sitting here today, the children you have with you are very important for 2047. The India of 2047 depends on these children. But even policy makers have to do something for them,” Sisodia said.
“In most developed countries, the salary of teachers is more than the bureaucrats there. A teacher with five years of experience draws more salary than an IAS officer with five years of posting,” he added, citing examples of Germany, Switzerland and a few other countries, PTI reported.
Reflecting on his time in Tihar jail, Manish Sisodia shared that he spent 8-10 hours each day reading books and learning about the education systems of different countries.
He remarked that the last 1.5 years were among the most challenging periods of his life. “When we are in difficult circumstances, the lessons learnt by teachers are most useful. I studied a lot during this time. I used to read books for 8-10 hours. Most of all, I read about education, India’s education system, the world’s education system,” Sisodia said.
Sisodia was held in Delhi’s Tihar Jail for 17 months in connection with a money laundering case linked to the excise policy. He was released on bail last month, on August 9.