The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday promised comprehensive education reforms in Punjab after the formation of the AAP government in the state after the 2022 Assembly polls.
Termed the plight of government schools and teachers in Punjab as a misfortune, Kejriwal gave eight guarantees to teachers which, he said, would be implemented on a priority basis by the AAP government.
Addressing a Press conference in Amritsar, Kejriwal – who is on a two-day visit to Punjab and has launched the ‘Mission Punjab’ program for the 2022 Assembly elections – called upon all teachers to join the AAP’s campaign to transform Punjab’s government school education system like Delhi.
The eight guarantees include creating a Delhi-like environment in the education sector in Punjab, regularizing outsourcing and contractual teachers, implementing a transparent transfer policy, banning non-teaching work from teachers, permanent recruitment on vacant posts, sending teachers abroad for training, bringing in a transparent policy for new promotions and providing cashless medical facilities for teachers and their family members.
The AAP leader said Delhi-like ‘good environment for education’ would be created in the schools in Punjab. Kejriwal promised to regularise the services of outsourced and contract teachers.
He said that most of the teachers in Punjab have been working for only Rs 10,000 per month for the last 18 years which is a joke and unjust with a teacher.
Appealing to the Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Kejriwal to accept demands of teachers protesting to fill the vacancies and make contractual teachers permanent.
“If the Channi government does not do so, then during my next visit to Punjab, I will go to the teachers’ dharna and the demands of the teachers will be met on the formation of the AAP government,” he said.
Kejriwal said the Punjab government was forcing a teacher to teach in schools located at a distance of 200 kilometers. He said a teachers’ transfer policy will be brought to help teachers get posting near home.
He said non-teaching work would not be done by the teachers and all the vacant posts of the teachers will be filled.
The AAP leader said like the Delhi teachers are sent abroad for training, similarly, teachers from Punjab would also be sent.
Kejriwal promised timely promotion and a cashless medical facility to teachers and their families.
AAP supremo appealed to the teachers to join the party to create a conducive environment for education in the state, change the system and create a new Punjab.