Chandigarh [India], March 30 : Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Monday took a dig at Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann over celebrating the state's ranking on education based on the National Achievement Survey (NAS), saying that similar achivements had been dismissed when the Congress party was in power.
Warring recalled that CM Mann and other AAP leaders dismissed the state topping the list in 2021, calling the ratings manipulated. "So much so, Manish Sisodia, then Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, had said that Punjab's top rank showed a hidden understanding between the then Congress government in Punjab and the BJP government at the centre," he added.
"Should we tell you the same things now?" he asked the AAP leadership, while adding that Punjab again topped the survey because of the firm and sound foundations laid down by the Congress government between 2017 and 2022.
"You are reaping the harvest of our hard work," he told the AAP government, adding, "otherwise your education policy is limited and restricted to advertisements only".
The PCC president presented the grim scenario of the state of education in Punjab under the AAP government. He said the education system is in a "deep crisis", claiming declining enrollment, teacher shortages and infrastructure gaps under the AAP government.
Warring said the state's "education revolution" claims are "far from ground reality", alleging loss of public trust in government schools.
He cited official data to claim that schools with fewer than 15 students have increased -- from 237 to 276 at the primary level and 54 to 89 at the upper primary level -- indicating students moving away from government institutions.
He alleged that even in Sangrur, the Chief Minister's home district, 1,661 students have left government primary schools, and claimed instances of "fake enrolments".
Flagging vacancies, Warring said 6,423 teacher posts are lying unfilled across levels, affecting classroom teaching. He disclosed that retention at the higher secondary level has dropped to around 66 per cent, with nearly one-third of students discontinuing studies.
On infrastructure and distribution, he alleged mismanagement in pupil-teacher ratios, with over 18 per cent of primary and 23 per cent of upper primary schools facing imbalance.
He said 32 villages lack primary schools and six lack upper primary schools, raising concerns over the implementation of the Right to Education.
He further alleged that 179 infrastructure projects remain incomplete, 733 have not begun, and over 1,000 works are pending.
Warring suggested that instead of claiming the credit for the achievements of its predecessor, the AAP government should immediately fill all teacher vacancies, ensure schools in every village as per RTE norms, time-bound completion of pending infrastructure projects and prioritise education over publicity.