Private schools can’t oppose govt just because of their status: Rajasthan education minister interview

You have mentioned that the uniforms of private and government schools will be the same. Some private schools have objected to this.

School uniform will be of the same colour to avoid any discrimination between private and government schools. There are thousands of private schools in support. All over Rajasthan, I have received support. If some schools oppose this, we will consider their objections if they are genuine. However, if schools believe they can oppose government rules due to their status, it will not be acceptable.

Opposition leader Tikaram Jully recently raised the issue of the state government giving Rs 600 for school uniforms to SC/ST students in Rajasthan. He said it is not sufficient and the state is discriminating against poor students.

Someone should ask the Congress leaders how much they distributed during their tenure. For most of their tenure, they didn’t give any money, and even when they did, it was Rs 600. Clothes are priced from Rs 50 per meter to Rs 5,000 per meter. It is about necessity and affordability. We have already transferred the money to the parents’ accounts, and no one has raised a complaint.

Visuals of teachers selling milk powder and milk, supposed to be given to students in mid-day meals, circulated recently. What steps has the government taken?

When I got the information, the teachers were suspended, and action was taken. Corruption will not be tolerated in the department.

Thirteen students died in a government school in Jhalawar when the building collapsed. What steps has the government taken and how much money will be spent on infrastructure to repair dilapidated buildings?

We have sanctioned Rs 1.5 crore for a new building in Jhalawar, and the school’s rooms will be named after the children who died. A monument will also be made in their memory. The previous government should have taken measures to repair these buildings. According to our report, around 85,000 classrooms in Rajasthan’s government schools are dilapidated. We are gradually repairing them. Additionally, we have introduced new guidelines to mark each building with its construction date and the expected period, after which it will require maintenance again. This will help the authorities to repair them on time.

There have been rumours of a cabinet reshuffle in Rajasthan. What do you think will happen to your portfolio?

The decision will be taken by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, and we will accept whatever he decides.

Do you expect a win in the Anta bypoll on November 11? The BJP candidate is not well-known.

Our candidate, Morpal Suman, is a pradhan with a clean image. It doesn’t matter if he is a mass leader. The public will vote for the party, and based on his image, choose him as a leader. Popularity can be gained at a later stage. When I contested elections, I didn’t know anyone, as my community does not have many voters, but I still won the seat. It is all about the work you are doing.

The Election Commission is going to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Rajasthan. The Congress claims it is a method of ‘Vote Chori’.

“Vote chori” is the most pathetic excuse made by opposition leaders. They have no proof. SIR is a routine process… Why should Bangladeshi and Rohingya get voter ID cards and vote in our elections? This is a way to filter non-Indians and include the names of deserving Indians.

In Rajasthan, both Congress and the BJP change the school syllabus as per their ideology when in power. Isn’t this a waste of the state’s resources?

If you buy poison mistakenly, will you consume it despite knowing it is a poison? I know that it is expensive to change the syllabus, but we need to give our children the right education. Akbar was a rapist, a lootera, and a robber who kidnapped Hindu women… Why should he be glorified in our textbooks? We should teach children about the real contributions of our heroes. We will make changes whenever necessary, no matter the cost.