Govt ad in Class V Punjabi paper, teachers zapped

Ludhiana, September 14

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Eyeing the Assembly elections next year, the Capt Amarinder Singh government has started publicising its welfare schemes, now in the question papers of schoolchildren.

But the move has not gone down well with teachers and principals here, who feel that politics should not be mixed with education. Students of Class V, who took their Punjabi exam yesterday, were handed over question papers carrying an advertisement on hiking social security pension and listed questions related to it.

After announcing that the government spent around Rs 4,800 crore on the project, the ad followed multiple-choice questions such as the advertisement is on which subject — children, senior citizens, pension distribution, etc. and when was the scheme started.

A senior Punjabi teacher, wishing not to be named, said: “Was it a question from their syllabus? Why are we stooping so low that we are using students for our vested interests?”

Ramanjit Singh Sandhu, state committee member, Democratic Teachers Front, said why the state government was highlighting its schemes in the question papers of primary students. He said education must not be used as a tool to boast achievements. “Several other platforms are available. They can always use those,” he said.

Dr Devinder Boha, state coordinator, Padho Punjab, under whose patronage resource teams set question papers, did not respond to several phone calls and text messages. — TNS