Shahid Kapoor backs student protests, questions youth's fading faith in education

Actor Shahid Kapoor shared a thought-provoking post questioning the growing disconnect between India's youth and the education system. This comes amid the ongoing students' protest over the NEET-UG paper leak and demands for education reforms.In his post on Instagram,Shahid reflected on the importance of restoring young people's faith in education, asking what happens when the very generation the system is meant to serve begins to lose trust in it."What will happen if the very youth that the education system is made for doesn't believe in it anymore?" Shahid wrote.He went on to say that students, who spend years answering questions in examinations to secure their future, have every right to ask questions about that very future. "Jinke liye bana hai unka toh pehla haq banta hai. Exam mein sawalon ka jawab dete hain. Aaj sawaal pooch rahe hain. Kyon napoochein?" he wrote.(The system was created for them, so they have thefirst right to question it. They spend their lives answering questions inexams. Today, they're asking questions of their own. Why shouldn't they?).Emphasising that the concerns of young people deserve to be heard, Shahid added, "Jaise har saal wo jawaab likhte hain apne future ke liye, aajapne hi future pe unka yeh sawaal hai. Unhe haq hai (Just as they write answersevery year to secure their future, today they are asking questions about that very future. They have every right to do so). The youth of the country.Is the country. And they deserve to believe." Shahid joined the league of actors including Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Ananya Panday,Salman Khan, Zeenat Aman, Shaban Azmi and others who backed the movement.What started as a protest at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar has gradually spread across the country, with demonstrations being held in cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Patna and several others.The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led movement began in the aftermath of the NEET2026 paper leak and has since evolved into a nationwide protest against repeated examination irregularities. Students have been demanding greater transparency and accountability in the examination process, stricter measures to prevent paper leaks, comprehensive reforms, compensation for affected candidates and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.The movement reached a high point with the Chalo Sansad march in Delhi on July 20. Thousands of students assembled at Jantar Mantar before attempting to march towards Parliament, where clashes erupted after police halted the procession.- EndsPublished By: Prachi aryaPublished On: Jul 24, 2026 05:51 IST