On April 7, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said if voted to power, his party will introduce a single-window system for education loans and bring a law that will “list the rights and duties of students”.

In a Facebook post, Gandhi asserted that a Congress government will ensure free education to all students from Class 1 through 12 in government schools in the country.

He said the Congress will restore the independence and autonomy of colleges and universities and will open new state-run varsities in backward areas of the country to ensure the expansion of the education sector.

“The Congress will restore the independence and autonomy of colleges and universities and will open new state-run varsities in backward areas of the country to ensure expansion of education.

“The Congress will also bring ‘Student Rights Law’ that will list the rights and duties of students,” he said in a Facebook post.

“We feel that education empowers a child and it should be made available to all children.

“The Congress promises to ensure free and compulsory education to all in government schools from Class 1 to 12. We will raise the budget on education to 6 per cent of GDP,” he said in another post.

Gandhi said a Congress government will waive outstanding interest on old education loans prior to March 31, 2019.

“We will also introduce a single-window system for grant of education loans. The banks will not charge any interest on loans till the time the student gets a job and starts earning or becomes self-employed,” he added.