Page 72 - EW August 2025

Special Report

WHY AAP GOVERNMENT'S

K-12 EDUCATION REFORMS FAILED

The first major political party to accord public K-12 education
reform and upgradation high priority in its electoral campaigns,
the Aam Aadmi Party which ruled Delhi state from 2015-25,
promulgated too many reform initiatives too fast

Sandeep Sen

A FTER DEFEAT IN THE DELHI state ing BJP and swept the assembly election, winning 67 of the

70 seats. During its election campaign and subsequently, a
legislative assembly elections
major electoral plank of AAP was reform of Delhi’s educa-
early this year, and indictment
tion system, especially its public schools.
and internment last year of its
Four years later when AAP contested General Election
founder-leader Arvind Kejriwal,
a former Indian Revenue Service
Taking credit for adding 8,213 classrooms to the state gov-
officer, on corruption charges,
the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) 2019, it again accorded high priority to school education.
ernment’s 1,028 public schools “despite all the hurdles
has fallen off the national radar. laid by Central government”; sending Delhi government
However, it is pertinent to recall school teachers to “coveted institutes in Finland, Singapore
that immediately after it was registered as a political party, & United Kingdom” for training; launching special initia-
AAP — the first political party in post-independence India tives to improve the foundational learning skills of students;
to accord high place to education reform and upgradation introducing happiness and entrepreneurship curriculums
of K-12 schools in its election manifesto — fared well in in government schools; re-energising parent-dominated
the Delhi state election of 2013, bagging 28 seats of the 70 School Management Committees, and reiterating that Del-
assembly seats. hi’s government schools performed better than the state’s
Embroilment of the Congress-led UPA-II government at private schools in class XII results consecutively for three
the Centre in a spate of corruption scandals precipitated the years, education dominated the AAP General Election 2019
landslide victory of the BJP-led NDA coalition in General manifesto.
Election 2014, reducing Congress to 44 seats in a 543-seats Although AAP didn’t fare well in General Election 2019,
Lok Sabha. This thumping majority prompted the trium- bagging only one seat in the Lok Sabha, this new political
phant new BJP/NDA government in Delhi to dissolve the party impacted the importance of radical reform of K-12
Delhi state legislative assembly and decree new elections in education on the national conscious. Enthused by AAP
2015. Against all expectations, AAP humbled the high-rid- having brought the issue of education reform on the na-

72 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2025