Throwing an open challenge to both its adversaries — the BJP and the Congress — Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has asked the parties to compete with the AAP Government's work in the field of education. This came a day after BJP's Vijender Gupta alleged that there has been a decline in the number of students in Government run schools and their pass percentage in boards.
Sisodia said any of the BJP or Congress ruled States can take up the challenge, asserting that none of them equals the Delhi Government schools in terms of quality of education, infrastructure, sanitation and other parameters. He even challenged the BJP ruled MCDs to have a comparison between the schools of Delhi Government and those run by the MCDs. He said this will ultimately benefit the students of Delhi providing them with good schools.
"I challenge the MCDs and also Governments of other States ruled by other political parties to compete with the work done in education sector by our Government in Delhi. let's start today and then compare after a year or two," said Sisodia. He welcomed the move by the political rivals who questioned the work done by the AAP Government in education saying that those parties who had never think of working on education are at-least doing 'brainstorming' on it. "I am very happy that 'education' is being discussed by the politicians who keep discussing issues shamshan and kabristaan. We said when we entered politics that we are here to change politics, and look how they have been forced to talk over education and schools," he said.
He alleged that only agenda the Congress and the BJP had on education was to decide how many crores in bribe is to be taken for giving recognition to private schools and colleges, or to lobby for land to private schools.
"Be it a Congress ruled State or a BJP ruled, Govt schools are being shut down and private schools are increasing day by day, their fee is increasing day by day. All over the country, parents are frustrated over arbitrary fee hikes in private schools. There is no transparency in EWS admissions in private schools in any of the states," said Sisodia.
The Deputy CM said both the BJP and the Congress did nothing for the education sector and rather played in the hands of the private school lobby. Previous Governments gave lands for private schools, while we don't get land for government schools, he said. "We changed the way education sector worked in Delhi. The Government schools have gone through a visible change. The schools which were dilapidated and were not maintained ever get whitewashed every year now, drinking water & sanitation has been taken care off. We appointed Estate Managers, the first time in India, to take care of the maintenance & management of the Government schools," he added.
