NEW DELHI: Making a scathing attack on L-G VK Saxena, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that the L-G should allow government school teachers to travel to Finland. Kejriwal said that government schools teachers of Punjab are going to Singapore for training while in Delhi, they are not even being allowed to go to Finland.
Terming it unconstitutional, Kejriwal requested the L-G to give clearance to the file. “Day after tomorrow, 36 teachers from government schools in Punjab will go to Singapore for training. At a time when other states are learning from Delhi and sending teachers abroad for training, the initiative has fallen prey to dirty politics in Delhi,” said the chief minister.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that the L-G should send government school teachers to Finland for training. He said that on one side the Punjab Government is sending teachers abroad for training but under the same constitution, the city government is being stopped to do so by the L-G. This is happening because he is misusing the powers given to him by the unconstitutionally amended the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act.
Sisodia said, “Due to the unconstitutional power given to the L-G by the Central government of BJP, the city government is not able to send its teachers for training abroad. The consent of the L-G is not required to send teachers abroad for training. Due to the unconstitutional amendments made in GNCTD Act by the Central Government, the L-G is stalling everything.” He alleged that the amendment in the GNCTD Act has given L-G powers to interfere in the functioning of the Delhi government.
“After forming the government, we started sending our teachers on training in the second and third year. But AAP in Punjab is learning from Delhi’s experiences and has started sending its teachers on international training in the first year itself,” he said.
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP said that it is beyond the understanding of the people as to why CM and his deputy are creating a hue and cry and insisting on getting government school teachers trained in Finland. Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that the CM and the Deputy CM said that the Central government has made an unconstitutional amendment in the National Capital Territory of Delhi Act as the L-G is withholding the file, while the fact is that the Kejriwal government went to Supreme Court against the said amendment but have not got any relief till date, nor has the Supreme Court made any adverse comment on the said amendment.
He said that the people of know that to improve the government schools of Delhi, there is a need to appoint more than 24,000 teachers. “It is a matter of regret that AAP is not interested in the appointment of teachers and principals, it only wants to create a constitutional conflict, while the Lt. Governor of Delhi who has appointed 6,100 teachers in schools in the last 6 months,” added Kapoor.