Central govt schools doing better than Delhi govt schools: BJP

Top Delhi BJP leaders on Friday released a report that claimed central government schools performed better than Delhi government schools, alleging that this happened because the AAP dispensation made big announcements but did not work on them.

However, the Delhi government dismissed the report, saying it's "unfair" to compare Delhi government schools with Centre-run Kendriya Vidyalayas that admit students through entrance tests. Public Policy Research Centre, a body associated with the BJP, has prepared the report on the state of education in Delhi based on around 1,000 RTI replies received from the AAP government in last three months.

It claimed Class 10 pass percentage in Delhi government schools came down from 95.81 per cent in 2015 to 71.58 per cent in 2019, while that of Kendriya Vidyalayas improved from 99.59 per cent to 99.79 per cent in the same period. This year, 28.42 per cent students failed in Class 10 in Delhi government schools. Only 0.21 per cent failed in Class 10 in Kendriya Vidyalayas, it said.

The report claimed that less than 1 per cent of Class 12 students in Delhi government schools are eligible to apply for admission in Delhi University. "More than 50 per cent of the posts for permanent teachers in Delhi government schools remain vacant. This has a direct bearing on the quality of education and also the effectiveness of teaching quality," it said.

PPRC director Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said the Delhi government "indulged in propaganda and published full-page advertisements but did nothing on the ground".

"Though the AAP government claimed the expenditure on education increased in the last five years, no improvement could be seen in infrastructure. They only appointed their workers as consultants and advisors," Sahasrabuddhe, a BJP member of Rajya Sabha, claimed.

He also said the RTI replies show that almost all Delhi government schools do not have any "smart classes". Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, who released the report, alleged corruption in construction of new classrooms in Delhi government schools and said it will be exposed soon.

BJP national vice-president Shyam Jaju and MPs Gautam Gambhir, Parvesh Verma and Meenakshi Lekhi were present at the event during which the report was released. Verma said the AAP government did not build a single new school but announced the formation of two universities in the last three months.

Rejecting the findings of the report, Shailendra Sharma, advisor to the Delhi government's education department, said students are admitted to KVs through entrance tests, unlike Delhi government schools.

"As a result, while in Delhi government schools more than 1.6 lakh students appeared in Class 10 board exam in 2019, the number in KVs of Delhi was just 7,800," he said.

A fairer comparison of KVs could be made with Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya of the Delhi government, which also admit students through entrance exams and had a pass percentage of 99.06 in 2019, he said. Sharma said anyone who clears the Class 12 exam can apply for a graduate course in DU. "However, due to high cut-offs in regular undergraduate courses, mere passing (the exam) is not enough."