Need modern, not Western, education: Modi

Pune: Stressing the importance of education in nation building, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said India needed modern education minus Westernization.

"Building human resource through education is critical for nation building. Post-independence, governments played no role in the educational system," Modi told students at the Fergusson College here.

"We need modernization, not Westernization of our educational system. I support modern education but not blind aping of the West."

Modi said the government needed to spend more on higher education.

"China prioritized education in its budget. In India, we dream of seven percent of our budget for education, but are stuck at four percent," Modi said.

"China allotted 20 percent of its GDP to its educational system as against India's which is barely 4 percent. We need to spend 25 percent GDP on education today," he added.