Can Delhi BJP’s Ministry Data Truly Unmask Kejriwal’s Education Claims?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Evidence from Union Education Ministry challenges Kejriwal’s education claims.
- Significant student failures raise concerns about the effectiveness of the education model.
- BJP argues that the AAP government fails students to manipulate pass percentages.
- Data shows alarming trends in student retention and success rates.
- Political ramifications could impact future educational policies.
New Delhi, Dec 11 (NationPress) Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva asserted on Thursday that information from the Union Education Ministry has offered fresh proof to substantiate that the Arvind Kejriwal administration's assertions of establishing the finest education system in the city are indeed “hollow”.
Sachdeva pointed out that a response from Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary to a query posed by Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal has validated the BJP’s claims regarding Kejriwal’s misleading assertions about the Aam Aadmi Party’s education framework.
The Delhi BJP President noted that based on data shared in Parliament, during the years impacted by the pandemic, specifically 2020-21 and 2021-22, 31,541 and 28,548 students failed in the ninth grade respectively, with only 11,322 and 10,598 students opting for open schooling.
He emphasized that the remaining 39,519 students did not pursue their education at all, as per the data he cited.
In the academic year 2022-23, 88,421 students failed in the ninth grade, with merely 29,436 continuing through open schooling, he stated while referencing the statistics.
In 2023-24, following Atishi’s appointment as the Delhi Education Minister, the count of failing students in the ninth grade surged past the one lakh mark, reaching 101,344, and only 7,794 of those persisted with open schooling.
Last year, 2024-25, 70,296 students failed, with just 11,974 continuing their education via open schooling, as pointed out by Sachdeva.
Sachdeva remarked that the BJP has repeatedly claimed that the Kejriwal administration intentionally failed numerous weak students in the ninth grade to prevent them from appearing in the tenth-grade exams, which would consequently lower the overall pass percentage in the Board exams.
The BJP leader stated that the AAP employed this strategy to artificially enhance the tenth-grade results, and the figures disclosed in Parliament have reaffirmed their accusations that the AAP government’s much-publicized education model in government schools was merely a tool for publicity.