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A series of botched-up exams have once again put the spotlight on the Narendra Modi government’s failure to manage and regulate India’s higher education system. For weeks, protestors have been demanding the resignation of the education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan.

On social media, many havepointed out that until recently Pradhan’s daughter Naimisha was enrolled in an American university. As one user argued: “While political leaders can afford to send their children abroad for quality education, millions of Indian students are left battling a system plagued by paper leaks, recruitment scams, delayed results, and lack of accountability.”

But Pradhan’s daughter is not the only one. Scroll analysed publicly available information about the children of India’s cabinet rank ministers. Of the 21 children aged between 18 and 35 for whom information was available, 15 have a foreign degree or are currently studying in foreign universities, and one studied in India, while the educational background of five is not known. The age group was chosen since those within it are most likely to have been in college and university since 2014, after the Narendra Modi government came to power.

For instance, Arjun Jaishankar, the youngest child of S Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, graduated in 2021, with a bachelor of arts degree from New York University....

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