New Delhi, Jul 16 (IANS): Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor Monday said failing to provide education for all would pose not merely a socio-economic problem, but also a national security challenge.

"If we do not get our education priorities right, violent incidents like Maoist violence would recur. We will be faced with frustrated unemployed young men with no stake in the system, and with no hope in the economy. These men will prefer picking up the gun as an alternative to finding the right job. That is the danger we need to avert," the minister said.

Tharoor was speaking a function in the national capital, where he called for the expansion of educational opportunities to ensure "equity, excellence and employment".

"To my mind, education is not just about the social and economic future of India, it is no less than a national security challenge," Tharoor said.

"India enjoys a demographic dividend which could take the country to great heights if the quality of education was improved and the right skills were imparted to the country's employable youth," he said.