New Delhi, August 27: Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, has responded to concerns regarding Punjab’s government schools. He emphasized the need for a fair comparison of the education system by considering both the current state and the situation from 2022. Sisodia urged journalists to present a comprehensive view of the changes in Punjab’s government schools over the past four and a half years.
According to Sisodia, when Bhagwant Mann took office as Chief Minister in 2022, many government schools in Punjab lacked basic facilities. He claimed that at that time, numerous schools had no toilets, around 400,000 children were forced to sit on the floor for classes, and thousands of schools lacked adequate drinking water facilities.
He asserted that significant improvements have been made in approximately 20,000 government schools since then. Over this period, more than 9,000 new classrooms and labs were constructed, 13,920 new toilets were built, and around 200,000 new desks were provided. Additionally, interactive panels have been installed in over 10,000 schools.
Sisodia reported that advanced computer labs have been established in 5,012 schools, and all government schools are claimed to be connected to Wi-Fi. He also mentioned that nearly 99 percent of schools now have boundary walls. Furthermore, he addressed the impact of natural disasters, noting that two major floods in Punjab affected over 7,000 schools, with reconstruction and restoration efforts ongoing for about 500 severely damaged schools. He stated that the assessment of changes in government schools should not be limited to new buildings and facilities.
He claimed that in recent years, 364,000 children have transitioned from private to government schools in Punjab. The number of students qualifying for NEET has risen from 80 to 882. In four years, 2,166 students qualified for NEET, and 786 for JEE.
Sisodia also mentioned that 230,000 children have gained knowledge about business and entrepreneurship through the ‘Business Blasters’ program. He pointed out that Punjab has become the first state in the country to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) education from grades one to twelve. Additionally, 40 skill education schools have been launched. Sisodia criticized the BJP and Congress, asserting that comparisons of Punjab’s education system should be based on data and ground realities, rather than political accusations.
He appealed to impartial journalists to honestly compare the work done during the 15-20 years of Congress and BJP governance with the approximately four and a half years of the Aam Aadmi Party’s administration. Sisodia acknowledged that while the work in the education sector is not yet complete, a beginning has been made to address long-standing issues.
He concluded by stating that the success of government schools is not solely measured by budget improvements, but also by the trust of parents and better outcomes for children. According to him, the Bhagwant Mann government has been working to restore public confidence in government schools.
Leave a Comment