The PDA Pathshala (Backward-Dalit-Little) program organized by Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh remains a topic of discussion these days. Under this school, children are being taught ‘A Akhilesh Yadav’ and ‘D to Dimple Yadav’, identifying the letters. If seen, the familyism of Samajwadi Party is also dominated in this school because children are being told only about family leaders. On the other hand, the SP says that this program is a constructive effort to introduce social justice and its leaders, but the opposition parties have strongly objected to this. At the same time, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav has announced that if the government closes the school, the socialists will run ‘PDA Pathshala’. He has said that this fight is not only of schools, but the constitution, social justice and future of the poor.
On the other hand, BJP and Congress leaders have alleged that SP is politicizing the innocence of children. He says that the purpose of education should be fair and neutral, not based on the name of a party or leader. At the same time, SP leaders argue that they are creating awareness about their ideology among children to spread social equality and awareness. Let us tell you that at this time many videos of PDA Pathshala are going viral on social media.
If a political party contributes to children’s education, then there is nothing wrong in it, but it is absolutely wrong to politicize education. Adding children with any kind of political ideology or leader-specific image questions the neutrality of education. The basic purpose of education is to develop logical thinking, creativity and moral values in children. When young children are taught by connecting them to the leader-specific, their mindset may have unnecessary effects.
Akhilesh Yadav and his supporters may like to use the PDA school, but they have to understand that adding the name of a political party or leader in the minds of children at a young age can create prejudice for them. Education should be fair. Such efforts make education a medium of political propaganda. Political parties should understand that instead of connecting children with ideologies, it is beneficial for society and democracy to give them education, rituals and rationalism.
Political rhetoric on SP’s PDA school has also intensified. While Akhilesh Yadav is saying this right, Uttar Pradesh BJP President Bhupendra Chaudhary has said that SP can go to such an extent to fulfill its political interests that it is playing with the future of children. Everyone knows that there is only familyism in their school. Bhupendra Chaudhary said that even when the Samajwadi Party was in power, he worked to play with the future of children and is still doing the same today.
Let us tell you that such schools are being merged in Uttar Pradesh where the number of children is less than 50. All the protest parties including Samajwadi Party are protesting this decision of the state government. The PDA school is being organized by the SP in protest against this. These schools are being run near the schools which have been merged. In these schools, SP leaders are calling children in school dress and are teaching them A for Akhilesh Yadav and D for Dimple Yadav. According to reports, a case has also been registered against SP leaders in Bhadohi and Kanpur regarding this illegal school.