Delhi Education Minister Atishi on Thursday said that the Kejriwal-led Government is the only one that prioritises sending principals and teachers abroad for advanced training, rather than ministers and officers.
Atishi, while addressing the audience at the Delhi State Teachers Awards on Teacher’s Day, said that the Kejriwal government is the only one that sends principals and teachers abroad for training, rather than ministers and officers.She highlighted that over 400 principals and teachers have received training at prestigious institutions like Cambridge University, while 950 teachers have been trained at the National Institute of Education in Singapore and 1,700 teachers at IIM Ahmedabad.
“In 2015, when Arvind Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi, education was never the priority of any government. Government schools were in a bad condition. Every family used to think that even if we have to sacrifice our livelihood, we will take our children out of government schools and educate them in private schools,” said Atishi.
The Education Minister said that when Arvind Kejriwal became the Chief Minister of Delhi in 2015, he took a pledge that whether a child is from a rich family or a poor family, every child of Delhi will get world class education.
“The result of this is that the Delhi government became the first government in the country to double the education budget in the first year itself. The budget of Rs 5000 crore was increased to Rs 10,000 crore. Delhi became the first government in the country to consistently spend the largest part of its budget, almost a quarter, on education. Which no other government in the country has done till date,” she said.
Reflecting on her own background, the minister said, “Both of my parents were teachers at Delhi University. I have a personal connection to this profession and understand the value of quality education.”
She also emphasised the importance of respecting teachers and said, “We have elevated teachers to the position of gurus and they are key to shaping future generations.”
