Make public education a priority: A teacher from Delhi writes to CM Vijay

By Adnan Asrar* 

An Open Letter to CM Vijay from a Teacher in Delhi

Dear Vijay,

I hope you are doing well. Congratulations on achieving what many thought was impossible. I am sure you must be receiving many letters these days, and I am not the only one troubling you with my words. Kindly be patient—every time a new entrant comes into politics, we begin to think that a messiah has arrived who will address all that ails us.

Am I too late in conveying my congratulations and writing to you? You may say that, as a North Indian, I allowed my South Indian brethren to write to you first. I hope you have read all those letters. If not, I can wait.

If you have finished reading them, may I request a few moments of your valuable time for my letter? I also have one humble request to make. It is something I first heard about in 2015, and for the past decade I have waited for someone to take the initiative. Unfortunately, no one in North India has done so. It concerns improving the condition of our government schools.

This remarkable idea emerged from the Allahabad High Court in 2015 while it was adjudicating writ petitions concerning the deplorable state of government schools in Uttar Pradesh. The judgment was delivered in response to a dozen Public Interest Litigations. Some related to irregularities in teachers' appointments, while others highlighted the poor infrastructure in government schools.

The judge was convinced that piecemeal measures would not bring about the reforms that were needed. The court directed the Uttar Pradesh government to enact laws mandating the enrolment of the children of all MLAs and bureaucrats in government schools so that they could experience firsthand the pathetic conditions prevailing in these institutions. The judge also observed that government servants would ensure that state-run schools functioned effectively if their own children studied there.

A good idea, isn't it?

I was excited when I first read about it. But then Akhilesh Yadav, who was Chief Minister at the time, did nothing about it. Neither did Mayawati, then in the opposition, raise her voice for its implementation.

You should also know that similar recommendations were made in a NITI Aayog-sponsored study in 2016. There have also been several instances where government schools witnessed dramatic improvements in infrastructure and overall atmosphere after bureaucrats chose to send their children there.

So, may I request you to make a law—a law that we desperately need?

You must have heard about the rising fees charged by private schools. The cost of quality education is becoming unbearable for ordinary families. You are also aware of the inequalities that emerge from the stratification of primary education. Don't you think something should be done about it?

If so, please consider introducing a Bill in the Assembly that would require all MLAs and bureaucrats to enrol their children in government schools. During your five years as Chief Minister, you would witness how such a measure could transform public education.

It would benefit both of us, Vijay. I have seen how a small political party began by providing subsidized electricity and how quickly the idea spread across the country. If you initiate this reform in Tamil Nadu, I am confident that within months the idea will reach my state as well. You may earn political goodwill from it, but ordinary people like me would gain something far more valuable—decent public schools close to our homes. And that is my selfish reason for writing this letter.

But, Vijay, I must confess that I am also skeptical about my own hopes. I live in a city where, during my student days, an ordinary man making extraordinary promises came before us. But something happened to him after the election, and he changed.

After winning 67 out of 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly election, do you know what he did? He pushed all the idealists out of his party and began compromising on his ethics. Please promise me that you will never do the same. I sincerely request you. The wounds of past betrayals are still fresh. We Indians are emotional people. We cannot afford two heartbreaks in such a short span of time.

I also wanted to write about reforms in the health sector and the environment. But they say that if you make too many requests, there is a greater chance that all of them will be rejected. That is why I am making only this one request. I hope you will not say no.

Please take care. We have high hopes for you.

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*Assistant Professor at Lloyd Law College, Greater Noida