'Try eating the right ‘VEGITABLES’: Punjab govt faces heat over school spelling blunders

Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains has found himself at the centre of a political controversy after a post shared by him about a government school drew attention to spelling errors in classroom charts. The words “Vegitables” and “Dear” appeared on educational material displayed inside the school, prompting sharp reactions from the Opposition.

Bains had shared photographs of Government Primary School (GPS) Basti Hazoor Singh in Fazilka while explaining the steps taken by the Punjab government after the school was affected by the 2025 floods.

According to Bains, three classrooms were declared unsafe on December 8, 2025, following which their dismantling was ordered. He said Class 4 and 5 students had been shifted to another school within one kilometre, while Pre-Primary to Class 3 students were studying safely in two classrooms.

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He also said ₹28.65 lakh had been sanctioned for three new classrooms, with construction expected to begin during the week.

Harjot Bains’ Tweet On Punjab School

In his post on X, Bains focused on the condition of the school and the government's efforts to improve infrastructure. He said the school was among 500 government schools being completely redeveloped.

Bains also highlighted the Punjab government's education record, claiming that the state had moved from 27th position to No. 1 in education, while more than 19,000 government schools had been upgraded.

However, the photographs shared by the minister soon became the focus of the discussion, with social media users pointing out the spelling mistakes on the classroom charts. BJP leader Amit Malviya criticised Bains over the photographs, pointing to the incorrect spellings of “Deer” and “Vegetables”.

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Malviya wrote on X: “Such commitment to education! Punjab’s Education Minister has posted a photo of a school where the board itself exposes the state of education: ‘Dear’ instead of ‘Deer.’ ‘Vegitables’ instead of ‘Vegetables.’”

He questioned the government's focus on education and argued that such errors reflected the state of government schooling in Punjab.

SAD Takes Dig At ‘Vegitables’ Spelling

The Shiromani Akali Dal also joined the controversy and launched a sarcastic attack on the Punjab government.

The party wrote on X: “If this is what is being taught in government schools in Punjab. No wonder over 6 lakh students have dropped out of government schools since 2022.”

Taking a further dig at Bains, SAD added:“Maybe he should try eating the right ‘VEGITABLES’!”

The party also highlighted the incorrect use of “DEER” and alleged that the episode exposed problems with the state government's education policies.

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Harjot Bains Hits Back At Critics

Bains responded to the criticism by accusing his political opponents of selectively focusing on old material and issues instead of acknowledging the Punjab government's work in education.

In his reply, Bains wrote: “Thank you for your concern, Amit ji, Badal Sab, and others.”

He further alleged that critics were circulating “old videos and old news” because of their opposition to Punjab. Bains wrote: “I'm loving it, though — your hatred for Punjab is my motivation.”

The Education Minister then listed the government's achievements in the education sector, including infrastructure upgrades and new classrooms.

Taking a direct swipe at his critics over the spelling controversy, Bains said: “Keep zooming in on posters. We'll keep fixing schools — buildings, boards, spellings, and results, all of it.”

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He concluded his response with: “Education is not a photo-op for us, it’s a mission & my passion.”

The controversy has since turned into a political exchange over Punjab's government schools, with the Opposition using the spelling errors to question the quality of education, while Bains has defended the AAP government's broader record on school infrastructure and reforms.