NEW DELHI: Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Saturday claimed that data presented in the Rajya Sabha had exposed what he described as the shortcomings of the previous Aam Aadmi Party government’s education model.
Reacting to a parliamentary reply, Sood alleged that the much-publicised “education revolution” in the national capital focused more on improving statistics than on providing genuine academic support to students. Sood referred to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha by AAP MP Swati Maliwal, seeking clarification on whether students failing Class IX in Delhi government schools were being shifted to the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
According to the minister, the reply indicated that weaker students were being diverted to manage results instead of addressing learning gaps within the school system.
“The figures presented in Parliament show the real picture behind tall claims,” Sood said, adding that the emphasis appeared to be on polishing performance indicators rather than strengthening foundational education and remedial support for struggling students. The AAP, however, strongly rejected the allegations, terming them misleading and said, “The Delhi Education Minister needs to educate himself first.
The allegation that students who failed Class 9 were pushed into NIOS to polish statistics is factually illogical. Out of 3.2 lakh students, only 71,000—around 22 per cent— opted for NIOS over five years, and they did so voluntarily. If the intention was to manipulate results, why were only 22 per cent shifted and not all?”