Delhi Education Minister says RS data reveals the truth about AAP govt’s education model

Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Saturday said data presented in the Rajya Sabha had exposed what he described as the reality behind the previous AAP government’s much-publicised education model, alleging that it prioritised statistical outcomes over substantive academic support for students.

Reacting to a written reply by the Ministry of Education, Sood said the AAP’s so-called “education revolution” which focused on infrastructure upgrades, curriculum reforms, teacher training and improved pass percentages appeared to rely heavily on diverting academically weak students out of the mainstream system.

The issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha by AAP’s own MP Swati Maliwal, who sought clarification on whether students failing Class 9 in Delhi government schools were being shifted to the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to improve school results.

NIOS, an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Education, was originally introduced to provide flexible and inclusive learning opportunities for students unable to continue in the conventional schooling system due to academic, economic or social constraints. It is intended as a second-chance mechanism to prevent dropouts, not as a substitute for regular schooling.

According to the Ministry’s reply, more than 3.20 lakh students failed Class 9 in Delhi government schools over the past five years — 31,541 in 2020–21, 28,548 in 2021–22, 88,421 in 2022–23, 1,01,344 in 2023–24 and 70,296 in 2024–25. During the same period, over 71,000 students were admitted to NIOS , including 29,436 in 2022–23 alone.

Sood said that while NIOS is a legitimate alternative learning system, the data suggested it was not being used primarily as a remedial support mechanism. He added that when a question is raised by an MP from the same party, it points to deeper concerns about policy intent.

Responding to the allegations, the AAP rejected the claims as factually incorrect. The party said that only around 22 per cent of Class 9 failures opted for NIOS during the five-year period and that the decision was voluntary, aimed at avoiding repetition of a class. It accused the BJP of drawing conclusions without proper application of mind.

Despite the sharp political exchange, no official announcement has been made by the Delhi government regarding a formal review or revision of policies related to Class 9 failures or NIOS admissions.