A row has erupted over edtech firm Unacademy’s decision to sack one of its teachers for his comments in an online class. The teacher, identified as Karan Sangwan had appealed to his students to not vote for “illiterate candidates who only focus on changing names”.
Sangwan has now begun his own YouTube channel and has announced that he will post details around the controversy on August 19 there.
"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.
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Unacademy is facing widespread criticism over its decision. Several politicians such as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Shiv Sena MP, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate and a few others have also condemned the move by calling it a move suppressing free speech. 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."
Meanwhile, Unacademy has issued a clarification on the issue. Its co-founder Roman Saini , took to the social media platform X to say that the tutor was in breach of Unacademy’s strict Code of Conduct. “The classroom is not a place to share personal opinions and views as they can wrongly influence them,” Saini added.
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With inputs from Agencies
