Unacademy Teacher Sacked For Asking Students To Vote For 'Educated Candidates', Delhi CM Questions Decision

Sacking Karan Sangwan, edtech firm Unacademy said a classroom is not a place to share personal opinions and views.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal spoke up for a teacher, who was sacked by edtech company Unacademy for allegedly asking students to vote for "educated candidates". Sacking Karan Sangwan, the edtech firm said a classroom is not a place to share personal opinions and views.

Weighing in on the issue, the Delhi chief minister questioned if asking people to vote for educated person was a crime.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Chief Minister Kejriwal posted, "Is it a crime to appeal to vote for educated people? If someone is illiterate, personally I respect them. But public representatives cannot be illiterate. This is the era of science and technology. Illiterate public representatives can never build the modern India of 21st century."

Defending the sacking of the teacher, Unacademy co-founder Roman Saini said Sangwan’s remark was in breach of contract and, therefore, the company had to part ways with him.

Sangwan, who has since started his own YouTube channel, announced that he will post details around the controversy on August 19.

"From the past few days a video has been going viral due to which I am in controversy and because of that controversy my several students who are preparing for judicial services examinations are facing a lot of consequences. Along with them I have to also face consequences," Sangwan said.

In the video that sparked a furore, Sangwan appealed to students to vote for educated candidates next time.

Saini, in a post on X, said Unacademy is an education platform that is deeply committed to imparting quality education.

"To do this we have in place a strict Code of Conduct for all our educators with the intention of ensuring that our learners have access to unbiased knowledge. Our learners are at the centre of everything we do. The classroom is not a place to share personal opinions and views as they can wrongly influence them. In the current situation, we were forced to part ways with Karan Sangwan as he was in breach of the Code of Conduct," Saini said.

Y Sathish Reddy, chairman of Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation, also posted on X, "With all due respect to #Unacademy, it is highly inappropriate to suspend a teacher who simply requested not to vote for illiterates. They are liable for a proper explanation! #UninstallUnacademy."

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