Kejriwal writes to Modi, says over 80% of govt schools ‘worse than junkyards’

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying over 80% of government schools in the country “are worse than junkyards”.

He referred to the Pradhan Mantri Schools For Rising India (PM-SHRI) Yojana for the upgradation of 14,500 schools across the country and sought a plan to upgrade all one million government schools.

“You have made a plan for the modernisation of 14,500 schools but if we work at this pace, it will take 100 years to upgrade all our government schools. I request you to prepare a plan for the redevelopment of all 10 lakh [one million] government-run schools in the country,” he said.

He said out of 2.7 million students, 1.8 million go to government schools. “The condition of more than 80 percent of government schools is worse than a junkyard. If we give such education to our children’s crores, how will India become a developed country?”

He said the country made a big mistake in 1947 by not developing good government schools in every village and town. “It’s unfortunate that in the next 75 years also, we did not focus on giving our children a good education. Will India continue to waste more time?”

On the occasion of Teachers’ Day on Monday, Modi announced the development of model schools under the PM-SHRI Yojana.

Kejriwal wrote the letter on the day he is set to start Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s ‘Make India Number One’ campaign from Haryana. He has been citing his work in key areas such as education and healthcare in Delhi as AAP seeks to make inroads beyond its stronghold.

AAP formed the government in Punjab this year and fancies its chances in places such as Modi’s home state of Gujarat, where polls are due this year, with a focus on education.