New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated the Schools of Excellence and Model School Schemes in Tamil Nadu’s capital Chennai today. The event took place at the state-run Bharathi Women’s College where the Delhi Chief Minister along with his Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin inaugurated as many as 26 Schools of Excellence and 15 Model Schools.
Speaking at the event, Kejriwal alleged that 66 per cent of students in government-run schools are getting “rotten education” which hampers the growth of the country.
“We want to become a developed country. But if 66% of our children are getting rotten education in Govt schools, how can the country progress? Unless we start providing good education in Govt schools, the dream of becoming a developed country will always remain distant,” he said.
“There are 27 crore students who go to school in our country, out of that 18 crore go to Government schools. We know that the condition of the government schools all across the country, barring a few, is pathetic. We want our country to become number one country,” the Delhi Chief Minister added.
As regards Kejriwal and the AAP, TN's plan provides one more opportunity to project his and his party-led government's 'successful' education/economic model being emulated elsewhere in the country. It would help the AAP to strengthen its narrative that it is no more a 'regional' party.
The upgraded infrastructure in state-run schools plan perfectly suits the DMK regime's "Dravidian model," which encompasses women empowerment and social justice.
The event may help AAP to score brownie points in future when it decides to seriously try its hand at electoral politics in Tamil Nadu. The AAP does not have a presence now in the state.
(With inputs by PTI)