AAP flayed over ‘scarcity of educational resources’

Anshita Mehra

New Delhi, February 22

Praveen Shankar Kapoor, media head and spokesperson for Delhi BJP, on Thursday expressed apprehensions regarding the scarcity of vital educational resources in Delhi Municipal Corporation (MCD) schools, coinciding with the completion of one year since the Mayor’s election in the MCD. Kapoor underscored that despite budget reductions by the Arvind Kejriwal government, the previous BJP administration successfully supplied essential items such as books, uniforms, bags and shoes to students.

He said, “Amidst the big claims of educational reform by Kejriwal and Education Minister Atishi, eight lakh students of MCD schools have not received school bags, stationery and shoes; more than three lakh have not received school uniforms and five lakh have not received sweaters.”

Kapoor referred to a memorandum issued by the education department of the Municipal Corporation, indicating that a significant number of students have not received uniforms and stationery for the academic year 2023-24, even months after the memorandum’s issuance.

Expressing dismay over the situation, Kapoor emphasised the urgent need for the Municipal Corporation to address the shortage of school bags, shoes and essential funds for students. He criticised the current AAP-led government for its failure to uphold promises of educational reform and called for immediate action to rectify the situation.

He criticised Kejriwal for failing to fulfil his promise of clearing the three landfill sites by January 1, 2024, as pledged before the November 2022 MCD elections. Despite claims throughout 2023, the landfill sites at Bhalaswa, Ghazipur and Okhla remain uncleared.

Kapoor revealed that an internal MCD document silently extended the clearance deadline to three years, with conditions.