Former education minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday launched the “Shiksha Par Baat” initiative of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) aimed at engaging parents and taking their view on Delhi’s education model and suggestions for an education policy.
Sisodia interacted with several parents from his constituency in Patparganj on Thursday and said that he will talk to parents in every constituency in the city.
“I hope your children are studying well at school and home. Arvind Kejriwal and I are always attentive to your children’s education. When I was made the deputy chief minister 10 years ago, Kejriwal Ji told me one thing, ‘Provide an education system for every child in Delhi, even those from the poorest families, as if you are doing it for your own son and daughter.’ And we have done just that. Today, Kejriwal Ji’s son is studying at a top IIT for engineering, and so is the son of a person who earns his living by ironing clothes on a street corner,” said Sisodia in an invitation letter sent to the parents before the event.
The letter said that the AAP has provided children with good schools to ensure that every child receives the best education.
“We sent teachers and principals for world-class training, maintained continuous communication with every child through mega PTMs, and implemented new curricula in schools. We even provided free training in schools for exams like NEET, JEE, NDA, and CUET. Due to these efforts, for the past seven years, the Delhi government schools have consistently outperformed private schools. Every year, thousands of children pass IIT-JEE and NEET exams and pursue excellent studies in engineering and medicine,” the letter added.
Sisodia was the education minister of Delhi from 2015 till he resigned from all his ministerial positions last year after being arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Sisodia is said to have doubled the budget of the government education system in Delhi, introduced laboratories and smart classes in government schools and started regular PTMs.
He asked parents through his letter to provide suggestions on what the government can do over the next five years to improve government schools to prepare for the future.
“We need to consider how to improve Delhi’s education system further to ensure that your children are prepared to be the best in the world. Technology is rapidly changing the world, and in the coming years, the jobs and work we see today will not exist. It is essential to teach our children skills that will prepare them for tomorrow’s world,” the letter added.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that the AAP government had promised to open 500 new schools in Delhi when it came to power in 2015 but has opened no new school in the last 10 years.
“There has been rampant corruption in the name of education by appointing so called mentors and school managers from AAP cadre. The standard of education in Delhi government schools has gone from bad to worse with hardly 25% schools teaching science at senior secondary level and less then 40% offering commerce. In the last two years the standards of municipal schools, too, has deteriorated. In the last few years Delhi has witnessed repeated incidents of government school students bringing weapons to school and even attacking teachers, speaking volumes on what kind of moral values schools are being inculcated among students,” said Sachdeva.
He added that launching the programme near the end of the government’s term shows that it is just a gimmick and is politicisation of schools to politically connect with parents.
Delhi government officials said that the “Shiksha Par Baat” initiative is designed to be a collaborative dialogue between policymakers and the community. During the sessions, Sisodia will invite parents to share their views on the future of education, focusing on key areas such as integrating technology into learning, developing skills for the future job market, and fostering an inclusive, equitable education environment.
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