Kejriwal challenges BJP to compare Punjab, Gujarat schools amid spelling controversy

Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal challenged the BJP on August 25 to compare 1,000 schools each in Punjab and Gujarat amid a political row over the quality of government school education in Punjab. Kejriwal also alleged that the BJP was using “doctored, AI videos” to defame Punjab government schools and proposed that the comparison of schools be conducted jointly and covered by the media.

“I challenge the BJP: You have been in power in Gujarat for 30 years, and we have been in power in Punjab for four and a half years. I will give you a list of 1,000 schools in Punjab, and you give us a list of 1,000 schools in Gujarat. Let us inspect these schools together and see which ones are better,” Kejriwal said in a video message. The political row in Punjab comes amid Cockroach Janta Party's growing focus on the condition of government schools and efforts to improve school infrastructure and facilities in different parts of the country under school thik karo campaign.

The former Delhi chief minister said BJP governments should focus on improving their own schools instead of targeting Punjab's education system. Kejriwal claimed that Punjab has around 19,700 schools, of which around 19,200 have been improved since the AAP came to power in the state in 2022. Work is continuing in the remaining 500 schools, which he said would be completed within the next one-and-a-half to two years.

Also read Punjab Adarsh Schools teachers to get over 120% salary hike

He said Punjab was ranked 28th in 2022 when the AAP government came to power, but claimed the state had since witnessed a turnaround in school education. “We did not improve schools alone; the people of Punjab improved Punjab's schools. The teachers of Punjab improved them, the principals of Punjab improved them, the parents and children- all of them together improved them,” Kejriwal said.

Controversy over spelling error in poster

The remarks came a day after Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains shared photographs of a government school classroom while highlighting the AAP government's “Sikhya Kranti” education initiative.

The photographs triggered criticism from Opposition parties after spelling errors were spotted on a classroom poster, with “deer” written as “dear” and “vegetables” as “vegitables”.

Also read Punjab Assembly passes bill on capping private school annual fee hikes at 5%

The Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP seized on the errors to attack the Punjab government and question its claims on education reforms. BJP leader Amit Malviya criticised the spelling mistakes and said the government should focus on the quality of education rather than “photo-ops and propaganda”.

Bains hit back at the Opposition, saying its focus on a classroom poster ignored the broader education reforms being undertaken in Punjab. He also accused critics of focusing on old videos and material to target the state's schools. Kejriwal's latest challenge shifts the political debate towards a comparison of school infrastructure and education systems in Punjab and Gujarat. He said the proposed inspection should allow the public to assess the condition of schools in both states rather than rely on political claims or videos.

The former Delhi chief minister also credited teachers, principals, parents and students for the changes in Punjab's government schools, arguing that the improvement was a collective effort.

(With PTI inputs)