Punjab Congress Chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring Takes Dig At CM Bhagwant Mann Over NAS Ranking

Chandigarh: Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Monday took a dig at the chief minister Bhagwant Mann over ``celebrating’’ the state's ranking on education based on the National Achievement Survey (NAS).

Warring reminded him and other leaders of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders that when Punjab topped the same survey in 2021 - under Congress government -, they dismissed it, saying this was manipulated. So much so, he added, Manish Sisodia, then deputy chief minister of Delhi had said that Punjab’s top rank showed a hidden understanding between the then Congress government in Punjab and the BJP government at the centre.

“Should we tell you the same things now?” he asked the AAP leadership, while adding, Punjab again topped the survey because of the firm and sound foundations laid down by the Congress government between 2017 and 2022. “You are reaping the harvest of our hard-work”, he told the AAP government, adding, “otherwise your education policy is limited and restricted to advertisements only”.

The party state president alleged a grim scenario of the state of education in Punjab under the AAP government and held that the education system was in a “deep crisis”, claiming declining enrolment, teacher shortages and infrastructure gaps under the AAP government.

He cited official data to claim that schools with fewer than 15 students have increased — from 237 to 276 at primary level and 54 to 89 at upper primary level — indicating students moving away from government institutions.

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He alleged that even in Sangrur, the chief minister’s home district, 1,661 students had left government primary schools, and claimed instances of “fake enrolments”.

Flagging vacancies, Warring said 6,423 teacher posts were lying unfilled across levels, affecting classroom teaching. He held that the retention at higher secondary level had dropped to around 66%, with nearly one-third of students discontinuing studies.