Patna-based educator and YouTuber Khan Sir has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exempt educational services from the Goods and Services Tax (GST), arguing that learning should remain free from commercialization.

After the GST Council’s decision to rationalize tax slabs, Khan said the current 18% levy on educational institutions discourages affordable access to quality teaching.

“In my opinion, there should be no GST on education. We want to tell the Prime Minister that 18 percent GST is still being charged on good education provided in institutes. Education must be tax-free,” he said.

While welcoming the government’s decision to impose a 40%  slab on luxury and sin goods —including high-end vehicles, tobacco, and sugary drinks — he said education should not be treated as a commercial commodity. “Increasing GST on luxury items is a good step. I hope that next time, when the Prime Minister addresses the nation from the Red Fort, he will consider giving the country a Holi gift by removing GST on education, just as he gave a Diwali gift this time,” Khan Sir added.

The remarks come after the 56th GST Council meeting, which decided to merge the 12 percent and 28% slabs, leaving only 5 percent and 18%, along with the 40%  bracket for luxury and sin goods.

On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, Khan Sir also remembered Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, India’s first Vice President and second President, whose birthday is celebrated as Teachers’ Day. Reflecting on the teacher-student bond, he pledged to uphold the tradition of education as a means for holistic development, not merely job creation.

“Education is not just about employment, it is about building character and ensuring all-round growth. We must never allow it to become a business,” he said, invoking Radhakrishnan’s vision.