Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has expressed its grave concern over the falling standards of education in the government-run schools and demanded the government should initiate remedial measures in this regard, sooner than later, so that the system which had gone for a toss was restored to its pristine glory.
Sharply reacting to the ‘National Education Report’, chairman of Punjab Core Committee and Budhlada MLA Principal Budhram on Thursday said the report had exposed the ruling Captain government as also the previous governments and their non-serious stance. The report indicated that the entire education set-up had gone for a toss due to lack of drive and seriousness to this effect on their part, he said.
In a statement issued from the party headquarters in Chandigarh here on Thursday, he said it was a matter of concern that 60 per cent class 3rd students, 28 per cent 5th standard and 15 per cent of class 8th student were unable to read the textbooks of Punjabi language prescribed for class 2nd as claimed the status report, which reflected the non-serious stance of the government holding the fort.
He further said that even though Punjabi is taught in Punjab Government schools from class 1 to class 10th, it remained a misnomer if a run a cursory look at the report. He stated Punjab had lagged behind in terms of imparting proper education to student due to wrong policies of the subsequent governments ruling the roost from time to time. What sort of stuff we are producing in schools if we cannot teach and make them able to read their own language, he questioned.
Holding responsible the governments changing hands for the education muddle, Budhram further said that the governments which had been ruling the country for the last more than 70 years were solely responsible for denigrating and bringing education standards to the brink. He said the erstwhile SAD-BJP government and the ruling Congress party were responsible for the nemesis of the education set up in the state. The shortfall of teachers in schools, lack of adequate infrastructure and other facilities at the government schools in Punjab had led to the sorry state of affairs, he said.
He said the state government in the saddle should replicate the Delhi model of education that the Arvind-Kejriwal government had implemented in letter and in spirit there for the benefit of a vast majority of students, thus re-defining the right to education quotient.