Instead of criticising the state that they have lived and grown up in, Gujarat Education Minister Jitu Vaghani suggested that people who have problems with the school education offered in Gujarat should collect the certificates of their children and move to whichever state or country they prefer.
It was while addressing an audience at a school building's inauguration in Rajkot that the state education minister made the comments. This happened on Wednesday, April 6. Many parents of students were in attendance.
The education minister went on to say that those people who have lived and grown up in Gujarat now prefer other states when it comes to education, in a veiled attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) who has criticised the quality of Gujarat's government schools.
"Certain people lived in Gujarat, grew up here, their children studied here, they carried out business here. But if you find any other state better (in terms of school education) — and I request this in the presence of reporters here — that whichever state or country you find better, go there after collecting your child's (school leaving) certificate," Vaghani said, as quoted in a report by PTI.
If anyone feels that everything in Gujarat is in a bad shape, the minister asked them not to wait in the state for a moment longer. He said that one is open to giving suggestions, but they are not at liberty at saying things that hurt or make the parents and students feel helpless.
"I can say with pride that quality and educated teachers are not in private (schools), but in government schools," he said.
The state unit of the ruling BJP had put out a series of tweets that were critical of the education system in Delhi. After which, Manish Sisodia, Education Minister, Delhi, had challenged Vaghani for a debate on the education system of Gujarat and Delhi.
With the aim of contesting in all seats of Gujarat in the Assembly elections coming up in the state in December this year, Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann conducted a roadshow in Ahmedabad recently.
