Claiming that families across India spend nearly Rs 3.5 lakh crore every year on just five major competitive examinations, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched the Congress’ nationwide ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ (Students’ Echo) campaign from Kota, the coaching hub in Rajasthan. He also accused the country’s education system of burdening students with stress, debt and uncertainty.The Dussehra Ground in Kota witnessed a massive turnout as thousands of students, parents and local residents gathered to hear Gandhi, who said the event was not a political rally but a platform to discuss the struggles faced by youngsters.Standing before the crowd, Gandhi said he had come to Kota to listen to students and understand the challenges shaping their future. “This is not a political meeting. This is a meeting about you and the young people who are struggling for their future. I am not going to talk about the BJP or the Congress. This is about the challenges you face every day,” he said.Recalling his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, Gandhi said he had interacted with lakhs of youth across the country and was left questioning why quality public education had weakened while private education had become increasingly expensive.He said the education system was failing to fulfil the aspirations of students and cited the case of a NEET aspirant named Akanksha, who died by suicide after allegedly being affected by the examination process and paper leak controversy.“Akanksha wanted to become a doctor. Her parents had taken loans for her education. After the paper leak, she felt everything had been ruined. This was not her fault or her parents’ fault. It was the failure of the system,” Gandhi said.He said no student should ever feel compelled to take such an extreme step and called for collective efforts to reduce the pressure imposed on young people.During the interaction, Gandhi invited students onto the stage to share their experiences. Himanshu, a NEET aspirant, told Gandhi that the paper leak had shattered the confidence of many students.“We prepared, appeared for the exam and then learnt it had been leaked. Now, we have to sit for it again. It breaks your morale,” he said, adding that his family had spent nearly Rs 4 lakh on coaching, hostel accommodation and other expenses over two years. His father, a farmer, had reportedly taken a loan of Rs 2 lakh to support his preparation.Using the example of coaching students gathered at the venue, Gandhi argued that the system was built around rejection rather than opportunity.“Out of 3,000 students, one may become an IAS officer, around 30 may enter IITs and only a fraction become doctors. This is a rejection system. It creates enormous pressure and disappointment,” he said.Calling the situation “unfair and brutal”, Gandhi said students should continue dreaming and striving for success, but added that the country must recognise the odds stacked against them.“My message is simple. We are causing too much pain, stress and unhappiness to the future generation,” he said.The Congress leader also presented figures on examination-related spending, claiming that 22 lakh students appear for NEET annually and families collectively spend around Rs 1.32 lakh crore on the process.He said the combined expenditure incurred by families on NEET, JEE, SSC, UPSC and Railway Recruitment Board examinations touches nearly Rs 3.5 lakh crore every year.“The amount families spend on these five examinations is comparable to what the government allocates annually to sectors such as education, health, science, labour and women and child development,” Gandhi claimed.Describing the current model as an “extortion machine”, Gandhi said students and parents were being forced into an endless cycle of fees, coaching costs and private education expenses because the public education system had weakened.He also linked the education crisis with unemployment, claiming that only a small fraction of young people secure formal jobs. “Of every 1,000 children, only a handful get formal employment. Hundreds remain unemployed, while many are pushed into insecure work. Even among engineering graduates, unemployment remains widespread,” he said.Calling for systemic reforms, Gandhi urged students to join the campaign and push for changes in both education and employment policies.This campaign will now travel to different parts of the country under the leadership of Congress units, including the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and the Indian Youth Congress.According to the party, Gandhi is scheduled to address student conventions in Allahabad on July 10, Patna on July 11 and Delhi on July 14 as part of the nationwide outreach programme.