Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Tuesday tore into the Modi government’s claims on public education, exposing the grim reality of school dropouts and paper leaks. The AAP MP revealed that nearly 54.77 lakh children dropped out of school in 2022-23 and 2023-24, with BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Assam leading the crisis.
Targeting the BJP over rampant exam scandals, Sanjay Singh pointed out that over 70 paper leaks in the last five years had disrupted the futures of 1.70 crore unemployed youth. He stressed that education should go beyond textbooks, ensuring children learn the true history and cultural heritage of the country.
Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh, on Tuesday highlighted the grim reality of government education in Parliament. Quoting Banasaheb Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s famous words, he said, “Education is like a tigress’s milk; the more you drink, the louder you roar.” He stressed that India can only progress when its citizens are educated.
The AAP MP exposed the truth behind the government’s lofty claims and schemes using data, revealing that nearly 54.77 lakh students dropped out of government schools in 2022-23 and 2023-24. The situation is particularly alarming in BJP-ruled states, with Assam recording 3,58,075 dropouts, Gujarat 1,38,813, Manipur 17,000, Meghalaya 65,532, and Uttar Pradesh 7,41,626.
In contrast, he pointed out that during the same period in Delhi, under AAP’s governance, only 7,000 students dropped out. “These figures expose the central government’s false claims and prove that urgent reforms are needed in the public education system,” he said.
Raising serious concerns about paper leaks over the past five years, Sanjay Singh revealed that more than 70 major exam papers, including NEET, constable, and clerk exams, had been leaked, affecting nearly 1.7 crore unemployed students and youth. Citing Uttar Pradesh as an example, he pointed out that the contract to conduct exams for 69,000 constable posts was awarded to Edutest, a company found guilty of irregularities.
“This company was run by Vineet Arya, a man with close ties to top BJP leaders,” the senior AAP leader stated. Even after being blacklisted for its involvement in a massive scam, the same company was given the contract to conduct exams in Bihar. He stated, “This clearly shows how the BJP continues to benefit its business associates at the expense of public money.”
Sanjay Singh also questioned the budget cuts in crucial education schemes like the PM SHRI, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, and the PM Poshan Yojana. He highlighted that while the PM SHRI scheme was allocated ₹1,215 crore in 2023-24, the allocation for 2024-25 was initially set at ₹6,050 crore but later reduced to ₹4,500 crore in the revised budget. Similar cuts were made in the budgets for Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and PM Poshan Yojana.
The AAP MP called out the BJP government for distorting Indian history. He stated, “If you want to teach about the brutality of the Mughal Empire in school curriculum, then you must also teach about the 200 years of exploitation under British rule. I also want those responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre to be named.”
He demanded that the British atrocities against India’s freedom fighters, including Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Ashfaqulla Khan, Khudiram Bose, Rajendra Lahiri, and Ram Prasad Bismil, be included in textbooks.
Taking a jibe at the RSS and BJP’s historical role, the AAP MP said, “If you teach about British brutality, then you must also teach about the organisation that opposed the Tricolour, the one that collaborated with the British, and the one whose leader wrote to the British governor in 1942, urging him to crush the freedom movement. You must also teach about the organisation that opposed revolutionaries and formed governments in three states with the Muslim League.”
Sanjay Singh emphasised that the true purpose of education is not just academic learning but also connecting children with the real history and cultural heritage of the country. He stressed the need for urgent reforms in the public education system to ensure that future generations receive accurate and comprehensive education.
