AAP trying to enforce Delhi's 'failed' education model: Akali Dal

Chandigarh, May 26 (IANS) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday condemned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for trying to enforce the Delhi government's 'failed' education model on Punjabis, even as it asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to stop deriding Punjab schools and its education standards following the release of the National Achievement Survey 2021 that ranked Punjab students ahead of Delhi at all levels of school education.

Asking the Chief Minister to congratulate the government school children of Punjab as well as seek their apology for defaming them, SAD spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said students of Punjab had fared better than their counterparts in Delhi in the survey which evaluated the education quality and overall health of the education system in the country.

"It is now clear that the much hyped Delhi model of school children which was used as a propaganda tool by AAP in Punjab as well as country wide is a complete failure. Bhagwant Mann should acknowledge this fact and not try to impose it on Punjabis besides working to strengthen the current Punjab model which had given good dividends to the state in the national survey."

Cheema said school children from Punjab had fared better than their counterparts in Delhi when compared class wise right from class three, class five, class eight and class 10. He said Punjab students has stood first as far as comprehending mathematics was concerned, second in case of social sciences and third in case of English.

"We must build on this achievement by developing both short as well as long-term interventions to improve learning levels further as per the findings of the independent survey conducted by the Union Education Ministry. The Chief Minister should now reject the Delhi model of school education firmly. Not doing so would amount to betraying the interests of Punjab and Punjabis."

The Akali leader said the education system of any state was built over a period of time and lauded the vision of former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal who had not only given a fillip to school education in the state but came up with the concept of meritorious schools and Adarsh schools to provide ultra modern education to the poorest of the poor.

"The AAP government should build on these concepts to improve the education system in the state even further," Cheema added.