The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday expressed serious concern over a sharp “decline” in students’ enrolment in Government schools in Punjab’s rural areas and simultaneous rise in admission in private schools.
“The SAD-BJP government in Punjab has made tall claims of reforms in educational system but the ground reality is different,” said AAP Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann.
He said that the ground realities were totally opposite of what Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema claimed during elections. Most of the private schools opened during the last five years of SAD-BJP rule, he added.
Mann said that a report prepared by Mumbai-based NGO ‘Pratham’ said that the number of students studying in private schools was more than in government schools.
“SAD-BJP government has deliberately shut down government schools in villages on the pretext of introducing a cluster system,” he said adding that under the said system, government shifted students where the number of students were less than 20 to other schools within five kilometers radius.
“This was aimed at helping private schools to fill the gap,” he said.
Mann said that 51.6 per cent of students from rural areas were enrolled in private schools against 45.5 per cent in 2014. “The standard of education in Government schools has declined gradually and, as per the report, only 35.4 per cent students studying in Class V in Government schools can understand English compared to 83.2 per cent in private schools,” he said quoting the report.
He added that the dropout rate in Government schools after Class X was above 70 per cent and only five per cent students went beyond higher secondary education.
“It is calculate mischief by SAD-BJP government to deprive people of quality education…Same is the case with primary health system which is completely ruined. SAD-BJP Government promoted private hospitals and scaled down primary health centers and dispensaries and re-designated sub-division hospitals as referral hospitals,” he said.
As per the report, 19 per cent of schools don't have drinking water and 21 per cent schools lacked toilets, he said adding that about 24 per cent schools were without toilets for girls.
Mann said that AAP government in Delhi had provided education and health services of international standard and this would be done in Punjab if the AAP formed a Government.