MLA Pargat Singh dismisses AAP govt’s claims of ‘education revolution’ in Punjab

Former Education Minister and MLA Pargat Singh has dismissed the Punjab Government’s claims of an “education revolution” as hollow. He stated that while Education Minister Harjot Bains claims that government schools were being modernised, but he himself had admitted that many teachers do not know how to teach.

“If teachers lack proper training, it is the government’s failure,” Pargat reacted. He further alleged that the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) had suffered a serious administrative and technical lapse. Gross negligence was shown during the board examinations held today, he said.

Pargat Singh said three questions worth 15 marks were missing from the Punjabi (Gurmukhi) version of the Class VIII science question paper, while the Hindi and English versions contained the full set of 30 questions. He termed this not a minor mistake, but a clear case of administrative negligence and discrimination against a regional language.

Due to this error, over three lakh Punjabi-medium students were at risk of losing approximately 19 per cent of their marks, putting their academic futures at risk. He said such serious mistakes cannot be tolerated.

Pargat Singh further stated that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) formed the government in Punjab by promising an education revolution on the Delhi model. For the past four years, tall claims had been made about transforming education in Punjab, but the reality, he said, was very different. When Education Minister Harjot Bains inspected schools, he reportedly found that teachers were unable to teach effectively. “If teachers are not adequately trained, what kind of education revolution has the government been claiming for four years?” he asked. He added that the Education Minister cannot hide his own onus and the state government’s incompetence by blaming teachers for the poor state of education.

He also alleged that the Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, had painted government schools in colours of its party flag, thereby politicising educational institutions. “Such tactics cannot improve education,” he said.

He reiterated that thousands of vacant posts of principals, headmasters, and teachers in government schools must be filled immediately. School infrastructure must be strengthened, and dilapidated buildings must be renovated. He pointed out that many schools still lacked basic facilities, including separate toilets for boys and girls.