Congress And BJP Are Responsible For Ruined State Of India’s Education System: Manish Sisodia News24 –
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held both BJP and Congress squarely responsible for India’s ruined education system. Senior AAP leader and former Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia said, “While countries across the world are preparing their children to become AI experts, we are failing to even provide education that would make our children employable in the AI economy.”
He said the state of education in India has deteriorated into a wreck due to the policies and neglect of successive governments led by BJP and Congress. “Wherever AAP is in power, we have transformed government schools. Where we’re not in power, we’re fighting to make education a priority,” he added. On Tuesday, AAP Prabharis (In-charges) from 20 states have resolved to send a team of 3,000 volunteers across the country to inspect government schools and publicly expose the state of education in India.
Vast Gap Between Centre’s Claims And Ground Reality Of India’s Education System: Manish Sisodia
Addressing a press conference, alongside Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and MP Sanjay Singh, senior AAP leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia criticised the Centre’s education policies. Referring to the conference of state education ministers called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day, Manish Sisodia stated, “The PM claimed that through the New Education Policy (NEP), we have taken India to new heights. But the reality on the ground is quite different. Countries across the world are preparing their children for the future, while in India, we are sending our children to schools where they are dying due to collapsed infrastructure. The entire country saw what happened in Jhalawar, Rajasthan, where a government school’s roof collapsed and 8 children lost their lives. Parents had sent their children to school with the hope that they would study and secure the family’s future, but they returned home carrying their children’s bodies.”
Children Lost Their Lives In Jhalawar Because Fixing Government Schools Is Not BJP’s Priority: Manish Sisodia
Holding government apathy responsible for the deaths, Manish Sisodia said, “These children died because there’s a government that believes it doesn’t have money to repair government schools. I am confident that in the education ministers’ conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must have not spoken about Jhalawar, even after NEP. If this had been a one-off incident, we could have called it an accident. But after the Jhalawar tragedy, the media in Rajasthan published lists of government schools highlighting where similar incidents could happen.
“The Education Minister of Rajasthan responded saying the government has no money. After Jhalawar, images emerged from Hapur in Uttar Pradesh and a government school in Madhya Pradesh. Today, citizens across India are posting photos of their dilapidated local schools on social media,” he added.
India’s Education Has Turned Into A Crumbling Ruin: Manish Sisodia
Highlighting the AAP’s internal deliberations on education, he said, “Today, AAP leaders held serious discussions on the state of education, and everyone agreed that the Indian education system has become a crumbling ruin. A crumbling system is preparing India for a crumbling future. AAP holds both BJP and Congress responsible for this mess. According to India’s own Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) data, only 4.80% of government schools in the country have computer labs. Merely 29% of children can read a second-grade textbook or do basic maths. If a class five child cannot read a second-grade text or solve basic maths problems, what kind of country are we preparing? And for what achievement are we celebrating five years of the NEP?”
Congress And BJP Have Looted And Deceived The Country In The Name Of Education For 75 years: Manish Sisodia
Taking aim at successive governments, the former Delhi Education Minister stressed, “The NEP says that 6% of India’s GDP should be spent on education. But forget 6%, the Central Government hasn’t even spent 2.5% of its annual budget on education in any of these five years. Despite celebrating five years of NEP, they couldn’t cross the 2.5% mark. Before this, the Congress had brought the Right to Education. But neither party properly implemented their policies. For the last 75 years, both BJP and Congress have looted the country in the name of education and deceived the people.”
Manish Sisodia added, “In 2009, India participated in the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) ranking and placed 74th. After that, both Congress and BJP governments stopped participating. They didn’t want to face the world. Instead of improving the system, they opted out of international assessments. This is why both parties are responsible for the collapse of India’s education system.”
Japan Is Teaching Coding To 5th Graders, While Our Children Are Dying Under Collapsed Roofs: Manish Sisodia
Comparing India’s education approach with other nations, Manish Sisodia said, “In Japan, children are taught coding from class five. Even remote villages have computer and AI labs. Fifth graders learn coding, sixth graders begin building apps, eighth graders start working on robots, and by classes 11 and 12, they’re advancing in machine learning. Meanwhile, in India, we are forcing our children to study under broken roofs. In villages and towns, children sit on torn mats pretending to study. Japan is preparing its children to rule the AI world, and we aren’t even equipping ours to become AI workers. While Japan is training AI experts, we are busy beating drums over a hollow education policy.”
While The World Is Creating History, We Are Busy Rewriting It: Manish Sisodia
The former Delhi Deputy CM continued, “In South Korea, children start learning robotics from class six. By class nine, every child must be part of a robotics club. South Korea has built AI labs for all students. By classes 11 and 12, students are building apps and robots in partnership with major tech firms. On the other hand, in our villages, 11th and 12th-grade students are taught Control+C and Control+V, how to use Microsoft Paint, and how to draw lines. South Korean children are learning to solve problems like traffic and mental health. But in India, we aren’t even talking about AI. While other countries are creating history, we are stuck revising it.”
India Could Have Made AI Part Of The Curriculum Like China, But We’re Choosing Not To: Manish Sisodia
Manish Sisodia said, “Chinese products dominate global markets, and the world knows the Chinese people are progressing through hard work. In 2018, China made AI a mandatory part of its high school curriculum. We aren’t even discussing it. Instead, we’re content stirring controversy over a few history books. Why is AI not part of the high school syllabus in India? If Japan can teach coding in class five, why can’t we teach our children coding and app development at that level? Why are we only teaching them to fight over religion and caste, stuck in outdated history? This is the result after five years of NEP.”
He added, “By class ten, Chinese children are using real-time data to predict weather patterns. By class twelve, they are building autonomous drones — it’s compulsory for all 12th graders in China to do so. In countries like Singapore, even seventh graders are required to study data science. By ninth grade, they’re learning coding, data science, and robotics in maths and science. In tenth, students build AI-based apps and learn financial literacy and budgeting. By classes 11 and 12, every Singaporean student is taught AI, machine learning, and cybersecurity.”
Other Countries Prioritise Teacher Training, But In India, We Are Only Debating Education: Manish Sisodia
Criticising the lack of teacher development, Manish Sisodia said, “Instead of working on education, we are only indulging in debates. We are not providing teacher training. Since 2018, Singapore has made 100 hours of AI-based teaching training mandatory for every teacher—and they achieved this goal. But we are doing nothing in the name of training. While Singapore is preparing its children to build smart cities, we can’t even provide smart boards.
He further pointed out that in the US, AI and robotics are compulsory from class six. There are no traditional exams; students are assessed through projects. American children are being taught to build and operate robots, while here we’re teaching children to memorise definitions of ‘robot’ and write them down to pass exams. In the US, tenth-grade students are creating AI chatbots, competing in club challenges, and by 11th-12th, they are collaborating with institutions like MIT to work on hi-tech AI cancer detection models. Around 52% of American students pursue vocational courses—these include AI, cybersecurity, robotics, and more. In contrast, in India, even where computers exist in classes 9–12, we’re still teaching them Control+C and Control+V.
Nearly 90% Of Government Schools In India Are In Poor Condition: Manish Sisodia
Urging the media to ask deeper questions, Manish Sisodia said, “It’s good that the media is showing collapsed buildings in Jhalawar and highlighting teacher shortages. But I also request you to ask students in functioning schools what they are learning in computer classes. An 11th or 12th-grade student will tell you they learnt MS Paint and how to copy-paste. It’s shameful—where are we leading the next generation? This is the pain of every parent and every child. Around 31 crore children are currently studying in schools and colleges in India. Out of these, 25 crore are in schools, and 15 crore of them are in government schools. Nearly 90% of these government schools are in poor condition. This is the true state of the country.”
To Prevent Another Jhalawar, AAP Workers Will Visit Schools And Raise Alerts: Manish Sisodia
Declaring a nationwide action plan, the senior AAP leader shared, “AAP works on education. We are in power in Punjab, have governed Delhi, and have MLAs in several states. But we don’t believe in waiting for power to start working. We will work now for the education of the children studying in schools today and confront the ruling governments. We’ve devised a strategy. AAP doesn’t want our children to grow up merely to become daily wage workers in the AI world, while other countries produce AI experts. AAP will not tolerate this disparity.”
He added, “In a serious discussion involving Prabhari(s) from 20 states, we decided that no state should suffer another Jhalawar. No innocent should die due to the anti-education policies of BJP and Congress. That’s why we’re going to be proactive. AAP has formed a team of 3,000 karyakartas across India. From 1st to 7th August, they will visit schools in 20 states to identify and report Jhalawar-like conditions. We will ensure that parents sending children to school are not sending them to their death. We will raise this issue before the administration and the political system. We’ll go to every school in every district, document conditions, and present a national report showing how BJP and Congress governments have jointly destroyed the education system.”
When It’s About Shutting Schools, BJP Is Remembered; When It’s About Building Schools, AAP Is Remembered: Sanjay Singh
Meanwhile, senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, “We governed Delhi for ten years and are now in Punjab for over three and a half years. Whenever people talk about AAP, the first two issues that come to mind are electricity and education. Free electricity, quality education, and clean water—only AAP delivers these. When the country talks about Mohalla Clinics, only AAP’s healthcare model is cited.”
“When it comes to spreading hate and inciting violence, BJP is remembered. From Jhalawar to the closure of schools in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana—BJP is remembered. But when it’s about building world-class schools with swimming pools, hockey fields, and athletic grounds, people remember the schools built by Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in Delhi, and the Schools of Eminence in Punjab. Education is central to AAP’s politics. We believe that politics must focus on education, healthcare, electricity, and the needs of the common man,” he added.
Sanjay Singh further added, “In Uttar Pradesh, the education system has been destroyed. The CM Yogi government has already closed 26,000 government schools and has now decided to shut down 27,000. Orders have already been issued for 5,000 closures. AAP workers are visiting villages to protest this. These schools serve children of labourers, widows, farmers, Dalits, and backward communities.”
He continued, “Parents send their kids not just to study but also for mid-day meals. The BJP claims that student numbers are dropping, but in these schools, children are being served salt with roti or plain rice with salt. Many have no seating arrangements. In Ballia, UP, there is a school with no electricity connection for over 30 years. There are thousands of such schools in the state.”
Criticising the Centre’s hypocrisy, Sanjay Singh said, “The Central government says, ‘Padhega India, tabhi to badhega India’ (India will study, then only India will grow), but they want to keep the country illiterate—to poison young minds with hatred. BJP wants to trap people in communal politics just to secure votes. AAP does politics on education and healthcare. We’ve done remarkable work in Punjab and delivered excellence in Delhi for 10 years. Today, it’s heartbreaking that private school principals and teachers are forcing parents to pay 80% increased fees, and if they can’t, they’re being thrown out by bouncers.”
“When Manish Sisodia was Education Minister for 10 years and Arvind Kejriwal was CM, no private school dared to raise fees. No school owner had the guts to assault parents. Where AAP governs, we’ll showcase an excellent education model to the nation and the world. And where we don’t govern, we’ll force governments to provide good schools and quality education. Our struggle will continue on the streets, in Parliament, and in the Supreme Court. On 2nd August, we will launch the ‘School Bachao Andolan’ (Save Our Schools Movement) in Lucknow,” shared the AAP MP.
For AAP, Education Is A Political Duty; We Proved It In Delhi And Are Proving It Again In Punjab: Harjot Singh Bains
Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains stated, “In 2022, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann reached out to the people of Punjab with one appeal—give us a chance, and we will fix the government schools. The people responded with a historic mandate, giving AAP 92 out of 117 seats. At that time, the condition of schools was dismal. Out of 28 lakh students, 4 lakh were sitting on the floor. Over 8,000 schools had no boundary walls. Around 3,200 schools had no toilets, or had unusable ones. Today, not a single child sits on the floor. Every student has age-appropriate furniture. Every school has a boundary wall and clean, functional washrooms. Punjab is now the only state where every government school has Wi-Fi and clean drinking water. We’ve even posted security guards in schools—something unheard of in India. Senior schools now have campus managers.”
Harjot Singh Bains said, “We didn’t stop at infrastructure—we focused on teachers. We worked on teacher training. We sent principals to Singapore, primary teachers to Finland, headmasters to Ahmedabad, science teachers to IISc Bengaluru. We even sent children to ISRO and established Schools of Eminence. Today, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan called a national education conference, but no other state education minister can tell you how many of their students passed NEET or JEE. I can—260 government school students in Punjab cleared JEE Mains, 44 cleared JEE Advanced, and 47 rural school students made it to IITs. Over 800 passed NEET. Punjab topped in the National Assessment Survey (NAS). We’ve outpaced coaching hubs and set new records.”
He added, “Punjab is the first state in India to invest ₹400 crore in AI. Almost every school now has two classrooms equipped with interactive panels. For us, education is a sacred political duty. Today, there are queues to get admission into our Schools of Eminence. For one seat, 200 children sit for entrance exams. The public perception of government schools has changed. AAP has proven this in Delhi—and now we’re doing it in Punjab. We will continue to raise the bar in the days to come.”
BJP-Congress Governments Failed To Reform India’s Education System
The BJP and Congress have both failed in improving India’s education system. The BJP government has been lax in implementing the 2020 National Education Policy (NEP). Even after five years, skills of the 21st century like coding, AI, and robotics have not reached schools. BJP made noise about NEP, but schools didn’t get teachers or technology. There are no schools for children, no classrooms—and where they exist, conditions are like Jhalawar. Where classrooms exist, there are no labs or libraries. Where there are labs, there are no toilets. Where there are toilets, there are no teachers. And where there are teachers, there is no technology. Meanwhile, Congress brought the RTE Act in 2009 and earned applause, but lacked the funding and will to implement it effectively. Both parties have used education merely as a vote bank tool for 70 years, never as a foundation for the country’s future.
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