New Delhi, Dec 30 (PTI) After the AAP's allegation that teachers have been deployed for duties related to stray dogs, Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Tuesday said "no such role" has been assigned
to them and accused the opposition party of running a "misinformation" campaign.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Sanjeev Jha, however, rejected this dismissal of its claim by the Delhi government and said Sood is either "not aware of what is happening in his department, or he is spreading lies".
Addressing a press conference at the Delhi Secretariat, Sood said earlier in the day that AAP leaders had spread false claims on social media suggesting that teachers were being diverted from their academic responsibilities to count stray dogs, and challenged the party to place any official order or circular in the public domain to support its allegation.
Sood said the Directorate of Education (DoE) had only asked schools to appoint nodal officers to deal with issues related to stray dogs in the vicinity of educational institutions in compliance with a Supreme Court order, but clarified that no specific duty had been assigned to teachers.
Referring to an official clarification issued by the DoE on Monday, Sood said the department had categorically stated that no directions were issued for assigning any stray dog-related work to teachers.
The education minister further alleged that the AAP had, in recent days, made several similar claims aimed at creating administrative confusion, including allegations regarding the suspension of tehsildars and sub-registrars, and questioned why the party was opposing action against officials accused of corruption.
Sood also cited an earlier instance around December 25 when, he said, the AAP had falsely claimed that the Delhi government had ordered action against children coming to schools dressed as Santa Claus, and again challenged the party to make public any such order, if it existed.
On issues related to the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB), Sood said the AAP had deliberately spread confusion despite the fact that around 16,000 candidates were selected through the board as early as 2022.
The minister said the people of Delhi had rejected the AAP's claims on education and governance, adding that the government led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was working in the public interest, which, according to him, had prompted attempts to defame the administration through misinformation.
Jha, however, alleged that the BJP is not able to handle the education system in Delhi.
"Before 2015, teachers were deployed for other things, but after our government came to power, Manish Sisodia (who was the education minister) understood the pain of teachers. Sisodia has left behind a legacy in terms of shaping the education system, and these people are not able to handle it," he said. PTI SHB PRK
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