Opposition downplays Aditya Thackeray's meeting with PM

Yuva Sena President Aditya Thackeray's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not go down well with the opposition with Congress terming it as "a publicity stunt" and NCP stating that students studying in civic schools do not even get basic facilities.
"Talking of providing tablet PCs to students studying in Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) run schools is only a publicity stunt because the Shiv Sena has not even been able to provide them basic facilities," Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam told reporters here.
"The quality of education is deteriorating and students can't even read and write properly," he said.

He alleged that the Sena, in the last 22 years of its rule in MCGM, did not even bother to improve the quality of education being imparted in civic run schools.
Meanwhile, NCP Mumbai unit President Sachin Ahir said that according to a recent survey done by a private organisation, around 22 per cent students studying in Class 5 cannot even read alphabets properly.
"The conditions of MCGM schools is going from bad to worse. There is no hygiene and toilets are kept unclean that result in children falling ill. Some of the buildings in which these schools are being run are also dangerous and can crumble anytime," Ahir said.

He further said that students keep complaining about not receiving their uniforms and books on time. "At such a time, instead of improving facilities of these schools, the Sena is talking of providing tabs to students. This is nothing but rubbing salt on the wounds of children," he said.

Thackeray today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latter's residence in New Delhi and invited him to interact with students of civic run schools through virtual classroom.
While speaking to reporters, Thackeray had said that the Sena has provided 1,200 tablet PCs till now and targets giving 25,000 tabs to students.

He claimed that virtual learning has yielded good results and students have got more than 90 per cent in their results after learning through this medium.