While officials said that it was an initiative to help senior secondary students in carrying books, assignments etc, teachers have questioned the logic.

“Class 11 and 12 students do not need school bags, but notebooks, registers etc. They are being given these bags with CM’s images as they are politically aware. The teenagers are being targeted for this political publicity as they are potential voters. Many in class 12 are already 18+ and registered as voters. If they really wanted to help class 11 and 12 students, then the right approach was to reduce the exam registration fee. The students even pay to get detailed marksheets,” said Dharamjit Singh, state secretary, Lecturer Cadre Union, Punjab.

Vikram Dev, state president, Democratic Teachers Front, said, “They are doing this for their campaigning but for a child, it is hurting his dignity. You are making him realize that even the bag he will carry to the school daily has been given free of cost by the government.”

Rajwinder Singh, a teacher, said, “This government has made it a routine to do politics in the name of education. Earlier they distributed government schemes pamphlets on Parent Teacher meetings, then books were distributed in polybags which had CM’s photo and now these bags. No one is a fool to not understand why these are being given to class 11 and 12 students only. They are potential voters and any effort to influence them will also reach their parents.”

When contacted, PSEB chiarman Amarpal Singh said, “We have only done the printing job as told by the education department. We have printed 4 lakh bags on their order and they have paid us for the job. We have not decided on its design.”

Sakatar Singh Bal, director of secondary education in Punjab, said, “Bags are being given to senior secondary students on a pilot basis. We will expand to other classes if required. The PSEB has designed the bags.”

Punjab education secretary Sonali Giri said, “In primary classes, we do not encourage heavy bags. So it is the senior students who require them as they have to carry books, worksheets, notebooks etc. PSEB had formed a committee to decide on the design of the bag. So it was probably their call to put up the CM’s photo.”

While Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains did not respond to calls and messages, his OSD Dapinder Singh said: “Bains is in Delhi where he participated in the protest at Jantar Mantar against paper leaks.”

AAP Punjab spokesperson Neel Garg said, “The CM’s photo on schoolbags should not be a point of discussion. Rather, the discussion should be on how AAP has transformed Punjab’s government schools. We used to criticize Badals for putting their images on everything because under them, schools and every other government facility were in pathetic state. AAP has revolutionized everything so there’s nothing wrong in putting photos of our leader. For children and their parents, CM Mann is an inspirational figure.”