Page 16 - EducationWorld August 2022

Education News

DELHI total budgeted expenditure for 2022-
Newly emergent election issue 23 towards education, the highest

proportion of any state countrywide.
Moreover, in addition to adding
8,000 classrooms to its 1,028 schools
in its second term from 2020, the
AAP government has established five
specialised universities including
skills, sports and teacher education
varsities which have an aggregate
enrolment of 25,000 youth.
However, not a few academics and
educationists are sceptical about the
AAP government’s claims of great
advances in education. According
to R.C. Jain, president of the Delhi
State Public Schools Management
Association, of all children in class
IX in state government schools only
50 percent make it to class XII,
because under an unwritten policy
of the government those who don’t
perform well in class IX are asked to
Delhi deputy chief minister Sisodia: QEFA proponent leave and enrol in NIOS as indepen-
dent students to write the NIOS (Na-
ERHAPS THE SOLE POLITICAL major plank of its successful election tional Institute of Open Schooling)
party in India whose leader- campaigns. board exam. “This is done to ensure
Pship believes that provision, But the party’s commendable that CBSE class XII board results
upgradation and universalisation initiatives to expand capacity in state of state government schools are
of school education is an election government schools by adding 8,000 90 percent-plus,” says Jain. More-
winning issue is the Aam Aadmi classrooms has resulted in the Delhi over, he alleges that over 800 state
Party (AAP) which was born out of Lokayukta ordering the chief secre- government schools are functioning
social reformer Anna Hazare’s futile tary of the Lt. Governor’s office (i.e, without headmasters.
anti-corruption crusade of 2012. In the Central government) to conduct BJP spokespersons and the rising
2015, AAP led by former government an enquiry into corruption charges number of the party’s sympathisers
bureaucrat Arvind Kejriwal, stunned levelled against Manish Sisodia, in academia attribute the AAP gov-
the country by winning the Delhi deputy chief and education minister ernment’s foot-dragging on the issue
state legislative assembly election of the AAP government. of appointing headmasters to diver-
bagging 67 of the 70 seats of the According to Manoj Tiwari, sion of funds towards heavy advertis-
house, an astonishing electoral coup former president of the Delhi state ing of the government’s “over-hyped
given that the BJP which had swept BJP and incumbent member of achievements” in the media, espe-
to a landslide victory in General Parliament, although the estimated cially on television. According to data
Election 2014 held a few months ear- construction cost per classroom available in the public domain, Delhi
lier, was expected to sweep Delhi as was Rs.5 lakh, the AAP government government’s ad spend zoomed to
well. Five years later, AAP won Delhi paid out Rs.25-28 lakh per class- Rs.488.97 crore in 2021-22 from
again with an even larger majority. room. Tiwari says this is prima facie Rs.11.18 crore in 2012-13.
Its promise to wipe out petty cor- proof of defalcation aggregating But even if Delhi state’s AAP
ruption which is endemic in the state Rs.2,000 crore. When this issue was government hasn’t done everything
and local governments of the na- first raised publicly in 2019 Sisodia right, there’s no denying it has suc-
tional capital (which was conferred reacted sharply by filing defamation ceeded in placing the long-neglected
special statehood in 1991) apart, suits against Tiwari. subject of quality education for all
upgrading and contemporisation Unlike all other parties, the AAP (QEFA) and developing the country’s
of Delhi’s 1,028 state government leadership makes education a big abundant and high-potential human
schools with an aggregate enrolment issue. It prides itself for allocating resource on the national agenda.
of 1.8 million children has been a 22 percent (Rs.16,278 crore) of its Nor are its initiatives to upgrade and

16 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2022