Gen-Z puts paper leaks, youth jobs, AI and unsafe schools before Tikaram Jully ahead of Rajasthan Assembly session

Jaipur: Paper leaks, youth unemployment, unsafe school buildings, the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs and the growing number of students going abroad for higher education were among the key concerns raised by Rajasthan youth during an Independence Day interaction with Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully at Gandhi Vatika on Friday.

More than 100 school and college students attended the interaction, held under the theme “India @ 80”. The programme was organised to hear the concerns of young people, including competitive exam aspirants, ahead of the Rajasthan Assembly session beginning August 20 and identify issues that Jully could take up in the House.

The setting added a symbolic touch to the conversation, with a statue of Mahatma Gandhi marching alongside a young boy forming the backdrop. The interaction focused on the aspirations and concerns of a generation that will shape India’s next phase of development.

Jully told the students that young people should not be treated merely as beneficiaries of government policies but as equal partners in governance. He encouraged them to question political leaders and said their concerns should find a place in the Assembly.

Paper leaks and uncertainty surrounding government recruitment examinations emerged as one of the strongest concerns. Ayesha, a NEET aspirant, asked Jully how the recurring problem of exam paper leaks could be stopped and how competitive exam aspirants could regain confidence in the examination system.

Jully said that if Congress came to power, it would seek the help of agencies and experts across the country and study the best systems available to prevent paper leaks. He said the effort would be to ensure that, at least, state-level recruitment examinations were not cancelled because of paper leaks.

Students also raised concerns over the condition of government school buildings, particularly in the wake of recent roof-collapse incidents. They wanted to know what could be done to ensure that children were not made to study in unsafe classrooms. Jully assured them that the issue would be taken up in the Assembly.

Engineering graduate Abhuyday Sachdeva raised concerns about the increasing number of Indian students going abroad for higher education. He also asked about the impact of AI on jobs and whether young people would have enough employment opportunities as technology changes the nature of work.

Jully said the impact of AI on employment required careful study, given the pace at which the technology was developing and its likely impact on different sectors.

The interaction also touched upon youth participation in democracy. Jully encouraged students to remain engaged with public issues and follow the Assembly proceedings to see how their concerns were taken up.

He also said school and college students would be invited to the Assembly so they could witness proceedings and understand how issues affecting them are debated.

The interaction came five days before the Assembly session, giving Jully an opportunity to take up issues raised directly by students in the House. For the participants, it was a chance to put questions on education, youth unemployment, jobs, technology and governance directly to the Leader of Opposition.