आप सरकार के तहत शिक्षा क्रांति एक बड़ा घोटाला और भ्रष्टाचार का पर्दा है : विजेंद्र गुप्ता

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta on Friday alleged that the much-publicised education revolution in Delhi under the AAP government is a big scam and a cover for corruption and demanded a probe into it. Responding to Gupta's allegations, the AAP in a statement alleged the "appalling" condition of schools in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. "While the Delhi government spends 24 per cent of its annual budget on education, the highest in the country, BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana show extremely low commitment by spending only 14-15 per cent on education," the AAP said in its statement. Gupta, in a press conference, alleged a "complete collapse" of higher education and termed the AAP government's initiatives - Delhi Skills and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU), Delhi Teachers University and Delhi Sports University - as "colossal failures". "The so-called education revolution of the AAP government is a mere cover for corruption and looting of the public exchequer," Gupta alleged. He demanded a probe into it from the Lt Governor.

In a statement, the opposition leader claimed that the Kejriwal government gained full control over recruitment in the case of DSEU "bypassing UPSC and DSSSB rules", leading to a "massive recruitment scam". "The AAP filled the university with political appointees and their cronies who received salaries of up to Rs 3.5 lakh - more than even the vice-chancellor's salary. These appointments included teaching and non-teaching staff, guest lecturers, outsourced employees and regular employees," he said. He also alleged a "scam" in consultancy services taken by the government and demanded a high-level probe into all funds spent for it from 2020 to 2023.

There is no infrastructure, no labs, not even proper water and electricity connections. Against the number of 1700 non-teaching staff set by the UGC, only 85 are present in the 23 campuses. Only 500 out of 1600 posts for teaching staff are filled, he said about DSEU. Gupta further claimed that DSEU “failed” to get All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approval for its courses and said that admissions for 2024 were stopped due to lack of response from students. “1700 seats for other courses running in DSEU are vacant as there are no students for these courses,” he claimed.

The performance of other universities is also not better, Gupta said, claiming that Delhi Teachers University is running in a school building with only two classrooms with no students while Delhi Sports University exists only on paper. “The AAP government has wasted more than Rs 1000 crore of public money on DSEU so far. They increased the fees by 400-500 per cent, making education expensive for the very people they claim to serve. They can spend crores on advertisements, but are yet to pay salaries to their guest teachers. The AAP slammed the BJP, saying it should be held accountable for the "pathetic condition" of schools in Madhya Pradesh after their rule for over 20 years. "It is shameful that 1,275 schools do not have a single teacher and in 22,000 schools, a single teacher has the entire burden of education," the AAP alleged. "This neglect and failure is the BJP's education legacy," the party alleged. The situation has worsened under the BJP rule, the party alleged. The party claimed that the education budget in Uttar Pradesh has fallen from 18 per cent in 2016-17 to 12 per cent in 2022-23. "This exposes the BJP's apathy towards education, which is failing lakhs of students every year. Wherever there is a BJP government, stories of neglect and failure have become common," the AAP retorted. The BJP has no concern for the present welfare of children and the future of the country, he further alleged.