'Students are sitting on floor, this is AAP's shiksha model': Delhi BJP alleges neglect at MCD schools

Following a visit by Delhi BJP leaders to an MCD school in Kapashera on Tuesday, the leaders have alleged severe neglect and poor conditions in these schools. The BJP Delhi president has claimed that hundreds of students are forced to sit on jute mats, with three classes being conducted in a single hall, highlighting a significant lack of basic facilities.

“Delhi constantly hears from Minister Atishi and MLA Manish Sisodia that they have made schools world-class. It is disheartening to see the conditions in this MCD school in Kapashera today,” stated Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) quickly retaliated, accusing the BJP of leaving the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in a financial jam during its 15 years of governance. “The BJP is a party corrupted to the core, and under its 15-year reign, it completely bankrupted the MCD,” the AAP asserted, the Indian Express reported.

During their visit, BJP representatives noted alarming conditions at the school, including dry and broken taps that deprived students of drinking water. They also reported that the toilet facilities were deplorable, lacking separate provisions for the approximately 550 female students. 

Despite an enrollment of 1,250 students, the school has been without a principal since 2022 and is severely understaffed, with seven teachers on BLO duty and six on long leave. Furthermore, the BJP criticised the classrooms for lacking proper blackboards.

Sachdeva questioned the commitment of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently in jail, and Sisodia, who is out on bail, asking whether they would consider sending their children to such schools. He announced plans to lodge a complaint with the Delhi Lieutenant Governor and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to demand immediate action regarding the conditions faced by students.

In response, the AAP condemned the BJP for closing over 60,000 schools across the country in the past two years, stating, “The situation is so dire that even PM Narendra Modi had to resort to getting photos clicked in a fake school. Shockingly, 1,606 schools in Gujarat operate with only one teacher… We are deeply grateful to the people of Delhi for entrusting us with the responsibility to improve MCD schools, and we will deliver.”