AAP vs L-G again as Arvind Kejriwal takes to streets over teachers’ training in Finland

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday led a protest march of leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, demanding that Lieutenant Governor allow the government’s efforts to send school teachers to Finland for training. The L-G’s office, the AAP has claimed, has sided with the BJP in a conspiracy to stop the AAP government from ensuring that teachers in Delhi receive the best training in the world.

“Delhi does not want dictatorship but wants Constitution and democracy. Our struggle for the rights of the people will continue, CM Kejriwal said as he led a procession to the L-G House today.

The Lieutenant Governor, on the other hand, denied the AAP’s allegation of rejecting the proposal of a training programme for primary in-charges in Finland. Any statement on the contrary, it said, is “deliberately misleading” and “mischievously motivated”.

“The government has been advised to evaluate the proposal in totality and record the cost-benefit analysis in terms of impact on quality of education being provided to students, so as to assess the effectiveness of various foreign training programs for teachers undertaken in the past,” news agency ANI cited sources in the L-G’s office as saying.

“L-G has also advised for examining and identifying similar training programmes in the Institutions of Excellence, within the country, so as to ensure optimal utilisation of resources, fiscal prudence and administrative effectiveness,” it added.

Reacting to the remarks by the L-G’s office, CM Kejriwal said that if he has not rejected the proposal to send teachers for training to Finland, he should write a letter to him stating that he has no objections to it. “If that is the case, Hon’ble LG may kindly write me a letter immediately saying that he has no objection to the teachers’ training proposal in Finland and the matter will be over?” he asked on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Delhi Education minister and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia claimed that the L-G refused to meet the AAP MLAs who had marched to his house. “The Chief Minister and I along with the MLAs had gone to meet the L-G to request him not to stop the teachers from going to Finland for training. L-G refused to meet with the MLAs. What is the fear in meeting the MLAs elected by the people of Delhi?” Sisodia said.

Last week, Sisodia had claimed at a press conference on January 13 that the BJP was trying to “use all its might” to stop the Delhi government’s efforts to send school teachers to Finland for training. “We sent teachers to Finland as it is one of the best places that has carried out education reforms. We want to expose our teachers to such international standards, as it is the teachers who contribute to raising the standard of education,” Sisodia told reporters.

“We had sent the file on Finland visit of teachers to LG, and he has asked for a cost-benefit analysis if such a programme can be done in India,” he claimed, adding, “The prime minister and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states will go to World Economic Forum. Will that also be stopped on the pretext of cost-benefit analysis?”