Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said when AAP came to power in 2015, the condition of government schools was “appalling”NEW DELHI: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday that free education and healthcare were not freebies but meant to provide excellent education to children who could then make India superpower. World-class healthcare for every Indian was also much-needed, he said. Speaking at the Independence Day celebrations after unfurling the national flag at Chhatrasal Stadium in north Delhi, Kejriwal said parents sacrificed all they had for their child’s education. If the children got a good education, India’s poverty could be removed within a generation. “If we have to make India a superpower, then we must provide excellent education to all children and world-class healthcare to every Indian free-of-cost,” Kejriwal declared. “There’s no shortcut, but we can make it happen in just five years.” He went on, “With folded hands, I want to say one thing: providing free education is not a freebie, don’t call it that. Parents sacrifice themselves to ensure an education for their child. They might skip a meal, but they will make sure their kid gets an education.” He noted that 39 countries, including the US, Australia, England, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Germany and France, offer free education to their children. The CM said that India had an abundance of government schools and teachers but lacked a “proper” education system. “We have proven this by fixing Delhi’s broken system. Now, we all must unite to fix the whole country,” he said. Kejriwal said when AAP came to power in 2015, the condition of government schools was “appalling”. He said that with deputy CM Manish Sisodia in the loop, a plan was prepared and the amount needed to boost the system was split over five years and 25% of Delhi’s budget was allotted to education. As a result, last year 99.7% of Delhi government school students passed their Class XII and four lakh students transferred from private to government schools. He said that all government schools in India could be revamped in five years the way Delhi’s schools were. As for healthcare, Kejriwal said calculation of cost incurred in consumables, treatment and medicines in the last three to four years put the average per capita cost of treatment for Delhiites at Rs 2,000. “Today, everyone in Delhi gets free healthcare regardless of economic status,” he said, adding, “There are 130 crore people in India. If we arrange all-round, free healthcare for every citizen, it will barely cost the country Rs 2.5 lakh crore.” Kejriwal said that 75 years was not a short period and countries such as Singapore, which became independent after India, had “overtaken us”. “We lack nothing and we are second to none. The world’s smartest and hardest-working people are Indians,” he said. “We have shown our capabilities by fixing the system in Delhi and now we have to prove ourselves by fixing the country’s system.” FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebookTwitterInstagramKOO APPYOUTUBE
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/quality-education-can-make-india-a-superpower-delhi-cm-arvind-kejriwal/articleshow/93578737.cms
