Have turned tentwaale schools into talentwaale schools, says Kejriwal

Hope L-G won’t stop the Finland file after hearing experiences of teachers who have gone abroad for training, says CM; why not get foreign experts here instead of sending teachers outside, asks BJP

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Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that the investment in the training and development of schoolteachers “is considered an expense by some”, whereas it is “an investment in the future of our country”. During his tenure as Delhi’s CM, Mr. Kejriwal said, he had gone abroad only twice, as he knew that there was nothing to gain from travelling abroad.

“I want you all to go and learn in the best universities of the world. Otherwise, there are also leaders who make two trips abroad every month and see the whole world in five years,” he said.

Mr. Kejriwal made the statements at Thyagaraj Stadium in Delhi on Sunday while interacting with the teachers and principals of Delhi government schools whom the AAP government had sent to Finland, Singapore and the U.K. for training over the past eight years.

Questioning the CM, Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said instead of sending a few teachers abroad, why does the government not call foreign experts to Delhi and train thousands of teachers simultaneously.

The CM’s comments come at a time when the Delhi government and Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena have locked horns over the issue of the former’s proposal to send its teachers to Finland for training. Mr. Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia have attacked the L-G over his decision to return the proposal while asking for “a cost-benefit analysis”.

“Had the L-G listened to the experiences shared by the teachers today, he would have been proud to be the L-G of Delhi. I will send a video of teachers’ experiences to him and hope that he will not stop the Finland file,” Mr. Kejriwal said.

“Teachers have played the most crucial role in Delhi’s education revolution. Every Delhi government school is a symbol of change. Tentwaale school became talentwaale school. The training of teachers and world-class infrastructure changed the atmosphere and gave splendid results,” the CM also said.

‘Discuss your model’

In response, Mr. Bidhuri challenged the AAP government to convene an Assembly session on its education model.

“The truth is that 22,000 guest teachers were recruited by this government, out of which several thousand have already lost their jobs. To date, the service of not a single guest teacher has been confirmed, nor have their salaries been increased,” Mr. Bidhuri said.