Former Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel on Tuesday accused the AAP government of making “tall claims” on reforming the education sector in the Capital after he found “poor” infrastructure at a government-run school in north-east Delhi’s Mustafabad.
Mr. Goel and BJP MLA Jagdish Pradhan visited the Government Boys/Girls Secondary School in Mustafabad during a “reality check” tour following which he alleged that the AAP government had been making “false claims” on improving the education sector and schools in Delhi, while the truth was that over 50% of students of Classes X and XII were “failing in the examinations.”
4,000 students
According to Mr. Goel, 4,000 students were found to be studying in four shifts of two hours each and Class VIII students of the school, which caters to students residing in areas including Mustafabad, Karawal Nagar, Shiv Vihar, and Nehru Vihar, “could not even recite the tables of seven.”
“The Kejriwal government had been making false claims on improving the education sector and schools in Delhi. This school exemplifies that there are schools in Delhi where infrastructure is absent and also exposes tall claims of the AAP government on reforms in education sector,” Mr. Goel alleged.
No response from AAP
No reaction was immediately available either from the Delhi government or the AAP. In Mustafabad, AAP has fielded party’s prominent leader Dilip Pandey against Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari.
Known locally as the “tin-wala school,” the Mustafabad school conducts classes in temporary classrooms and caters to over 2,100 girls and around 1,800 boys from Class VI to Class X in four shifts.
Mr. Goel claimed that he had offered ₹25 lakh for construction of classrooms for the school but the AAP government refused to accept or use it. “The AAP government did not accept my funds thinking it will benefit me politically,” he claimed.
Mr. Pradhan said that the land on which the school was running was embroiled in a legal dispute over ownership. “Another piece of land was available close to the school, but the Delhi government did not take steps to construct the school building there,” he claimed.
Challenges CM
Mr. Goel challenged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia to visit the school before making “any claim” on improvement of schools and education sector under their government.
Vice-principal of the school Anita Singh said that the education department had been apprised of the condition of the school.
