NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister and AAP Chief  Arvind Kejriwal today, April 14, said good quality education for children can create an impact that can help alleviate poverty.

Speaking at a gathering at a function at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) headquarters, New Delhi, on the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, Kejriwal said teachers, sanitation workers and other employees will ''work magic'' in the next couple of years to improve the system like their counterparts in the Delhi government have done in the past few years.

In his speech, he hailed Ambedkar, the Indian Constitution's architect, for outlining a vision for equality and egalitarianism in society and praised his pursuit of higher education during the British era, when few Indians considered earning degrees from schools like Columbia University and the London School of Economics.
"Ambedkar understood the significance of education and its role in eradicating poverty and promoting equality in society. Tribute to revered Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar ji on his anniversary. Let's come together to create an India where all children in the country will get a better education, the country will progress and become number one in the world,'' Kejriwal said in tweet.

He also mentioned in his speech at the MCD event that the AAP-led administration intends to introduce "healthy competition" to enhance civic affairs in the city.
'A 'model RWA (Residents' Welfare Association)  award' has been proposed by Saurabh Bharadwaj so that one RWA can be picked as the best RWA every year. Then we can have 'best park', 'best sanitary inspector', 'best sanitation worker',  among other awards, in each ward so that people give their best,'' Kejriwal said.

When he worked with his NGO before entering politics, he added, people used to "criticise Delhi government schools" and "look down upon its schoolteachers." He used this example of Delhi government schools to illustrate his point.
After we took over, we worked on improving our schools and creating a welcoming environment for staff members. The chief minister asserted that the teachers who had previously drawn criticism from the public have now changed the educational philosophy at Delhi government institutions.

Children from low-income homes are now attending reputable schools and making positive changes in their families' lives after finding employment. He gave the example of a Delhi school student whose father is a plumber and who was admitted to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Roorkee for computer science.

''Now, once he will graduate and get an employment, he will change the life of his family... So, I do not say I will remove poverty, rather I will give you education with which you can alleviate poverty. We believe in the value and power of education,'' the CM said. "We will make MCD schools better as well as Delhi clean and beautiful. You'll see that in a few years, with a favourable environment surrounding them, these same teachers and sanitation workers from the MCD will accomplish miracles,'' Kejriwal added.

The MCD has jurisdiction over 250 wards. It is in charge of sanitation and other civic duties in the city, and it also manages elementary schools, a number of hospitals, polyclinics, and dispensaries. The MCD, which was established in April 1958, was divided into three municipalities in 2012: East Delhi Municipality, South Delhi Municipality, and North Delhi Municipality. In 2022, the three civic organisations were reunited.

The AAP won the first elections held after the country's reunification in December 2022, ending the BJP's 15-year rule over the local government. Since then, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi of the AAP was chosen.