Minister Pradhan's Personal Anecdote Highlights Parental Pressure
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan shared a revealing personal story on Thursday, November 14, 2025, while speaking at an event at Delhi Public School, RK Puram. He recounted an incident involving a relative who had scored an impressive 91% in Class 12 board exams. Despite this outstanding achievement, the student's parents were disappointed, feeling the marks did not meet their expectations.
Witnessing their reaction, Minister Pradhan said he had to interject with a dose of reality. He humorously reminded the parents that the two of them together wouldn't have scored that much. This comment was meant to underscore the exceptional nature of the student's performance and to challenge the unrealistic expectations often placed on young learners.
A Call for Broader Career Paths
Using this incident as a springboard, the minister offered crucial advice to parents across the nation. He urged them not to force every student onto the same competitive path, specifically mentioning exams like the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). Instead, Pradhan advocated for recognizing and nurturing individual passions.
Let children become good sportsmen or good at painting if that's their area of interest, he advised. His message was clear: success is not monolithic, and pushing all students toward a single high-stakes exam can be counterproductive, ignoring the vast spectrum of talents and career opportunities available.
Other Key Developments from Delhi Confidential
Election Commission's Advisory for Bihar Vote Counting
On the eve of the vote counting for the Bihar elections, the Election Commission of India (EC) issued a firm advisory. On Thursday, November 14, it appealed to everyone, with a special emphasis on TV channels and internet media channels, to rely solely on its official results portal for verified updates.
The Commission cautioned against spreading or believing information from unofficial sources or hearsay. It is understood that this specific advice was included in the pre-counting press statement to prevent misinformation, as early trends are often reported based on the counting of postal ballots before the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) counting begins.
PM-Kisan Installment to be Released as 'Kisan Utsav'
In a related development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to release the August-November installment of the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme on November 19. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare has decided to elevate this routine disbursement into a grand celebration, branding it as 'Kisan Utsav' or Farmers' Festival.
It is reported that Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has written to his colleagues in the Union Council of Ministers, urging them to actively participate in the nationwide events. These celebrations will be organized at various institutes of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) across the country.
Supreme Court Inbox Jammed by Dog Lovers' Emails
In a display of public sentiment, the Supreme Court's official email inbox was flooded with messages following a court order on stray dogs. On August 12, a day after the top court directed authorities in the capital to shift stray dogs to shelters, its email server was overwhelmed.
Sources indicate that more than one lakh emails from concerned dog lovers, opposing the decision, jammed the inbox. The deluge was so severe that the court had to seek the assistance of technical experts to restore access and make the email system functional again.
