Delhi govt training programme in Finland hits roadblock after L-G refuses permission to 30 teachers

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal slammed the decision saying, “We have been sending government school teachers abroad for training. This has a significant contribution to Delhi’s education revolution. Stopping them from attending training abroad is not right. You stopped me from going abroad, it doesn’t matter, but you should let teachers go to Finland for the training programme. At least don’t stop them.”

In 2022, Saxena rejected the Delhi government’s proposal to allow Kejriwal to go to Singapore to attend the World Cities Summit. In 2019, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) denied him permission to attend the Copenhagen C40 World Mayors’ Summit in Denmark.

The L-G office did not respond to queries on the issue.

The Delhi government has been sponsoring training programmes for teachers and school principals in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Singapore and Finland for at least five years and has credited improvement in the teaching-learning process to the initiative.

“L-G’s refusal of foreign exposure training of our teachers is an attack on Delhi’s education model. Delhi’s education model has made India proud all over the world. Instead of helping to make that education model more glorious, the L-G is focused on stopping the unique initiatives. It is very shameful.”

The Delhi government has so far sent 1,079 of its teachers to different countries for training programmes or exposure visits. Of these, 59 teachers have gone to Finland, 420 to Cambridge, and 600 to Singapore for training. Apart from this, 860 school principals have trained at IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Lucknow.

“After coming into power, the Delhi government sent its teachers for training to leading countries and institutions that are best in the field of education such as Singapore, Finland, Oxford, Cambridge, and IIMs. This initiative was taken to provide global exposure to the teachers of the world’s education models and adopt them in their schools. Due to this international training, the confidence of teachers and school leaders has increased, and they now look at education from a global perspective… Because of this exposure, the Board exam result of Delhi government schools has improved to 99.6% today. Hundreds of children from our schools are getting admission at IITs and the top medical institutes. Today, even a child from a poor family is able to dream big and get admission in the best higher educational institutions in the country,” he said.

Slamming the L-G for asking for a “cost-benefit” analysis, Sisodia asked how this analysis is to be done. “Are the changes in Delhi government schools after these training — the wonderful atmosphere for learning, the excellent results of our children in board exams, and the re-instilled faith of parents in Delhi government schools not benefits?” He asked.

“SCERT Delhi has prepared a proposal for a 5-day training program for primary in-charges of Delhi government schools and teacher educators of SCERT at Jyväskylä University in Finland…Finland’s education system is one of the most renowned and excellent education systems in the world. SCERT has planned to send two groups of 30 primary in-charges here in December 2022 and March 2023. Under this, SCERT has made a budget provision in its annual plan and SCERT has been given a grant in aid by the Delhi government for conducting such training programmes, a statement issued by the Delhi government said.

Interestingly, the erstwhile East Delhi Municipal Corporation had announced that it would send two teachers and school heads to foreign universities for similar training programmes.