Ludhiana: Teachers and their unions have accused the education department of misappropriating public funds after govt schools were ordered to distribute political campaign pamphlets during a district-wide “Mega PTM.“Parents arriving ahead of the summer break expected routine academic updates and holiday homework. Instead, they were met with large entrance hoardings featuring the chief minister and handed pamphlets detailing four years of govt achievements.While the literature highlighted genuine educational upgrades — including 12,082 new school washrooms, thousands of renovated classrooms, and teacher training in Singapore and Finland—it also heavily promoted non-educational policies. Sections were dedicated to rural road construction, agricultural power subsidies, and cash welfare schemes for women.“It was an advertising event rather than a PTM,” said Rupinder Pal Singh Gill, district general secretary of the Democratic Teachers Front. “These political promotions have no direct link to students, and printing them was a blatant waste of funds.”School principals defended the setup, stating they merely followed strict directives from higher authorities.
