Unacademy fires teacher Karan Sangwan for comment on politicians. The row, explained

Edtech platform Unacademy has made headlines by parting ways with one of its educators, Karan Sangwan, in the aftermath of a recent dispute. Co-founder Roman Saini, using his X account, emphasized that "the classroom is not a place to share personal opinions and views as they can wrongly influence" students. Saini further explained, "In the current situation, we are compelled to separate from Karan Sangwan due to his violation of the code of conduct."

We are 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…

— Roman Saini (@RomanSaini) August 17, 2023

Although Karan Sangwan's video had gone viral on August 14, Unacademy had remained silent on the matter. The announcement of Sangwan's suspension came as no surprise and was officially communicated by the company on August 17.

What happened?

The controversy took place when Karan Sangwan, a law educator at Unacademy, offered personal advice to students, stating, "Next time aap vote dene jayen, toh kisi padhe likhe insaan ko chuniyega" (Next time you go to vote, choose an educated individual).

This advice emerged during a discussion on the bill introduced by the Central government in the Lok Sabha to replace the British-era IPC, CrPC, and the Indian Evidence Act. Sangwan expressed frustration, noting that all his meticulously prepared notes had become obsolete.

What is happening, now even the educated people are getting disillusioned.#KaranSangwan ji is an well known educator, he teaches at Unacademy. Karan Sangwan is saying that next time vote for an educated person, don't vote for someone who only knows how to change name. This video… pic.twitter.com/QwtPOxnvDv

— HRITHIK SAINI (@HRITHIKSAINI1) August 13, 2023

His frustration prompted the advice for students to vote exclusively for educated candidates, emphasizing that they should choose individuals who understand the issues at hand. He specifically referenced the ruling BJP government in several states, cautioning against supporting those who only know how to change names.

While some individuals supported Sangwan's views, others criticized him for imposing his opinions on students, sparking a heated controversy. The ensuing uproar hinted at the possibility of Unacademy severing ties with Sangwan.

Karan Sangwan's response after resignation

On August 17, screenshots of Karan Sangwan's message to students via the messaging app Telegram gained traction. In his message, he expressed his pleasure in teaching and striving to provide quality education, conveying his hopes for students' future success. Sangwan signed off with a nod to his students' enthusiasm, borrowing the popular phrase, "How's the Josh!"

Subsequently, Sangwan addressed the consequences of his actions in a video on his YouTube channel. He announced plans to release a detailed video on August 19, recounting the sequence of events leading to his resignation.

Breaking‼️

Teacher #KaranSangwan released his new video, says will not let the children's education be harmed

Massive Respect for Karan Sangwan🫡 #UninstallUnacademy

pic.twitter.com/jb03PQ6Rts

— Siddharth (@SidKeVichaar) August 17, 2023

X (Twitter) divided

The controversy stirred contrasting reactions on X. While a substantial number of users expressed outrage over Sangwan's termination, particularly for advocating that students only vote for educated candidates, others defended Unacademy's action.

Those in favor argued that Sangwan should have refrained from mixing personal views with teaching.

Here are a few reactions from X:

Repeating again n again "incapability" of govt, naming PM-HM, quoting prlmnt speech, and using a plagiarism check tool to compare changes in laws!!

Unacademy 'educator' Karan Sangwan sounds more like a politician than an educator. Perfectly fits into AAP's bill.

This is few… pic.twitter.com/UVeG7LRvDv

— The Hawk Eye (@thehawkeyex) August 17, 2023

How does saying vote for literate politicians a biased opinion? Doesn’t that opinion positively influence young minds? Shame if merely expressing this view gets you to take someone’s job, Unacademy.

PS: Don’t understand why everyone felt Karan Sangwan, the professor’s opinion on… https://t.co/bbexnYhiOb

— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) August 18, 2023

I totally understand where you're coming from! It's important to have educated politicians who can make well-informed decisions for effective governance and policy-making. 🙌

— SHUVODIP (WhatsApp Uni Aspirant)✨ 𝕏 (@shuvodip99) August 18, 2023

#Unacademy - Your decision is unfortunate. He did not take anyone's name. He just mentioned to elect someone educated.#IsupportKaranSangwan

— Partha Das (@partha2019LS) August 18, 2023

Thank You @unacademy for terminating Karan Sangwan. he should have focused on putting more effort into the betterment of students instead of ranting.

A teacher must remember that his task is to teach and not to preach. Let democracy and the people of India decide their leaders. pic.twitter.com/lb4eLg1wT4

— Sonu Nigam (@SonuNigamSingh) August 17, 2023