Kejriwal promises free education if AAP elected to power in Gujarat

bhuj: In yet another pre-poll guarantee for Gujarat, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday announced free and quality education to all students in government schools in the state and auditing of private schools if AAP was elected to power in the upcoming Assembly elections.

Asserting that enhancing education quality of state-run schools will help eradicate poverty, Kejriwal said it is possible to secure the future of 53 lakh students who attend government schools in Gujarat like he has done with 18 lakh pupils going to such institutes in Delhi, where his party AAP is in power. "All those born in Gujarat will get free and quality education. We will not force anybody. If parents have money, they can send their kids to private schools. But if they do not have money, we will not let the lack of money come in the way of good education for their kids. We will provide the best education for free," said the AAP convener.

The Delhi CM was addressing a town hall at Bhuj in Kutch district and his announcement comes in the midst of the ongoing national debate over providing freebies. During his fourth visit to the BJP-ruled Gujarat in recent days, Kejriwal promised to improve the infrastructure of existing government schools and set up a large number of new ones across the state if his party comes to power.

He said the if AAP forms the next government in Gujarat, all private schools will be audited and made to return "extra money" collected from parents like his administration has been done in Delhi.

An AAP government will also end the practice of private schools selling textbooks and uniforms to students as they have made this a separate business, the chief minister said.

When the AAP forms a government in Gujarat, service of teachers working on a contract basis will be regularised and they will be offered job security, the CM said.

It will also be ensured that government schoolteachers are not given non-teaching jobs, the AAP leader said.

Kejriwal guaranteed creation of teaching jobs in new schools when they are opened. The government will also make sure that facilities of higher education for women are created across the state and issues faced by "vidya sahayaks" (education assistants) are sorted out, he added.

Candidates who have cleared the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) in Gujarat are demanding appointment as 'vidya sahayaks' (as teachers in state-run primary schools are called) on a large scale.

He said the condition of government schools is poor not just in Gujarat, but across the country.