After facing a massive backlash over ministers and MLAs inaugurating ‘repaired toilets’ in government schools with a ceremonial plaque, the Punjab education department has ordered teachers across the state that no such ceremonies will be held from Monday onwards under the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) ongoing ‘Sikhya Kranti’ drive. The photos of AAP ministers and MLAs inaugurating plaques for refurbished toilets in government schools had gone viral on social media, inviting a backlash from people and Opposition parties, who termed it as “blatant wastage of public money”. The teachers received the order on their official WhatsApp groups late on Thursday. The order read: “From Monday onwards, no such inauguration ceremonies in schools will be held for toilets.” Confirming the order, Ravinder Kaur, Ludhiana’s district education officer (primary), said, “We have received the orders from head office that neither new nor repaired toilets will be inaugurated under ‘Sikhya Kranti’ drive and plaques should not be installed for them. The same has been communicated to the teachers.” The photograph that kicked off the political storm was of an inauguration by Bhadaur MLA Labh Singh Ugoke. The plaque that he inaugurated read: “The toilets at Government Senior Secondary School, Ghunas were repaired under the able leadership of CM Bhagwant Mann and the joint efforts of education minister Harjot Singh Bains and MLA Labh Singh Ugoke.” From Ludhiana to Khanna, Barnala to Balluana, soon, several such photos of MLAs inaugurating refurbished toilets went viral on social media. In Ludhiana, AAP MLA Madan Lal Bagga inaugurated repaired toilets, while Balluana MLA Amandeep Singh ‘Goldy’ Musafir and Balachaur MLA Santosh Kataria also inaugurated such plaques. The AAP government’s 54-day ‘Sikhya Kranti’ drive to inaugurate over 25,000 big or small works in 12,000 schools of Punjab started on April 7 and will continue till May 31. The drive has been mired in controversy from Day 1 as teachers have been ordered to get inaugural plaques installed even for minor repair works, with the names of Mann and Bains on them, and to arrange welcome ceremonies for local MLAs. The funds have not been released yet, and teachers are paying for the plaques from their own pockets. Punjab education secretary Anindita Mitra's earlier order dated April 3, issued to the education officials and teachers read: "Separate inaugural plaques are required to be made for each completed project i.e. separate for boundary wall, separate for classroom etc. The size of the plaque shall be 30"*24" and shall be made of granite. Further it is required to be ensured that the inaugural plaque is placed/fixed at a place where it is properly visible e.g. plaque of boundary wall shall be fixed near the gate on the outer side, plaque of classroom/laboratory/toilet shall be placed on its wall where it is prominently visible."
