Archive · 25 Aug 2026
Punjab School Spelling Errors Trigger Political Fight Over Education
Punjab’s education minister shared pictures of a government school to show improvements.
People noticed that two words on a classroom poster were spelled incorrectly.
“Deer” was written as “dear,” and “vegetables” was written as “vegitables.”
Opposition parties said the mistakes showed that the government needed to improve teaching.
The Shiromani Akali Dal also claimed that more than six lakh students had left government schools since 2022.
Minister Harjot Singh Bains said critics were focusing on one poster instead of wider school improvements.
He said Punjab had moved from 27th to first in a NITI Aayog education ranking.
He also said thousands of schools were upgraded and that damaged classrooms in one school were being replaced.
The disagreement became a political argument about the quality of Punjab’s education reforms.
A classroom poster shared by Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains used “dear” for “deer” and “vegitables” for “vegetables.”
The BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal cited the errors while criticizing Punjab’s government-school education standards.
The SAD alleged that more than six lakh students had left government schools since 2022.
Bains defended the AAP government, claiming Punjab rose from 27th to first in the NITI Aayog school-education ranking.
He said more than 19,000 schools had been upgraded and that ₹28.65 lakh was sanctioned for three replacement classrooms at a Fazilka school.
- Who
- Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, BJP leader Amit Malviya, the Shiromani Akali Dal, and the AAP-led Punjab government are involved.
- What
- Spelling errors in a school photograph shared by Bains prompted opposition criticism and a dispute over Punjab’s education record.
- When
- The posts and political responses were published on August 24, 2026; the three classrooms at the Fazilka school were declared unsafe on December 8, 2025.
- Where
- A government school in Fazilka, Punjab, India, and the wider Punjab school system.
- Why
- Opposition parties used the errors to question education quality, while Bains highlighted school upgrades, infrastructure work, and the government’s claimed ranking improvement.
Opposition criticism
Government defense
Meaning of the spelling errors
Opposition criticism
Amit Malviya and the SAD said the mistakes exposed weak education standards and urged the AAP government to focus less on photo opportunities and propaganda.
Government defense
Bains said opponents were concentrating on a classroom poster while ignoring broader efforts to improve buildings, boards, spellings, results, and infrastructure.
Overall education performance
Opposition criticism
The SAD used the errors and its alleged six-lakh decline in government-school enrolment to question the government’s education policies and claims.
Government defense
Bains claimed Punjab had advanced from 27th to first in the NITI Aayog ranking and said more than 19,000 schools had been upgraded.
Condition of the Fazilka school
Opposition criticism
Critics, including author Anand Ranganathan, questioned the condition of the school and whether promised construction had been completed on time.
Government defense
Bains said unsafe classrooms were identified after the 2025 floods, students were relocated or kept in safe rooms, and funding and orders for three new classrooms had been arranged.
- Incorrect spellings
- The classroom chart showed “dear” instead of “deer” and “vegitables” instead of “vegetables”.
- Opposition claim
- The SAD alleged that more than six lakh students had dropped out of government schools since 2022.
- Ranking claim
- Bains said Punjab rose from 27th to No. 1 in the NITI Aayog school-education ranking, ahead of Kerala.
- School upgrades
- Bains said more than 19,000 government schools had been upgraded.
- Unsafe classrooms
- Three classrooms at Government Primary School Basti Hazoor Singh in Fazilka were declared unsafe on December 8, 2025.
- Replacement classrooms
- Bains said ₹28.65 lakh was sanctioned to construct three new classrooms, with work beginning during the reported week.
- Student relocation
- Class 4 and 5 students were moved to a school within one kilometre, while pre-primary through Class 3 continued in two classrooms considered safe.
- Redevelopment program
- Bains said the Fazilka school was among 500 government schools being completely redeveloped.
