Delhi’s Education Minister Ashish Sood on Tuesday announced the BJP ruled Delhi Government is planning to prioritise the repair or reconstruction of all dilapidated school buildings in the city. The initiative comes after inspections were carried out in east Delhi, focusing on government schools with dilapidated structures.
According to an official statement, the education minister found several shortcomings in the schools. Apart from the run-down structures, the schools lacked basic facilities such as drinking water, clean toilets, laboratories and a shortage of teachers, the statement claimed.
During the visit, Sood and BJP MLA from Patparganj Ravinder Singh Negi inspected three Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalayas in Mayur Vihar and Mandawali Phase 1 and 2 and a Rajkiya Sarvodaya Sah Vidyalaya in Vinod Nagar. These inspections underscore the urgent need for intervention in response to concerns raised by local MLAs.
The Minister found during his inspection that many classrooms in the four schools in Patparganj were in extremely dangerous and deteriorating conditions. He noticed that the roofs of several rooms were built using iron girders and stone slabs, posing a risk of collapse. At Government Co-ed Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, West Vinod Nagar, the Minister found the school library to be very small and outdated, lacking even basic furniture for students to sit and read. Due to these shortcomings, students refrain from using the library. The Minister emphasised that the Delhi Government is planning to prioritise the repair or reconstruction of all dilapidated school buildings in the city. The Minister directed the school principal to take immediate corrective action.
He also found that two classrooms in the school had been permanently shut down due to poor condition. Upon inquiry, the principal explained that the roofs were old and could collapse at any time, with broken doors and windows worsening the situation.
The Minister reprimanded the PWD Executive Engineer, ordering that the necessary repairs be completed by May 15. The principal added that the department had been informed multiple times over the past one and a half years regarding roof repairs, but no action had been taken yet. Besides, the minister also inspected the geography lab, where he found several deficiencies. The lab was functioning in a small room without modern equipment. The Minister also pointed out the lack of basic amenities in schools, such as clean drinking water and hygienic toilets. During the inspection, many taps were found missing.
While inspecting Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Mayur Vihar Phase-2, Pocket B, the Education Minister checked the mid-day meal and found discrepancies. He directed the principal of the school to immediately improve its quality. The Minister also observed that many schools were understaffed or teachers were not reporting on time. In several schools, the number of students per class was far higher than the seating capacity, leading to overcrowded classrooms.
During his visit to Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Mandawali No 1, he learned that the building had been declared dangerous. The school Principal informed him that the building was constructed in 1960. The school, which caters to 1,800 students, suffers from severe seepage problems during the monsoon, causing ceilings of some bathrooms and classrooms to collapse. Despite repeated requests for reconstruction, no concrete action has been taken.
The principal also reported that the school’s multipurpose hall floods with 3 to 4 feet of water during rains, creating a serious risk of electrocution. The Minister instructed the Education Director and PWD engineers to prepare a work plan within a week for the hall’s repair or reconstruction and submit it.
Sood said, “MLAs of different constituencies have raised concern regarding the condition of government schools which is why we are conducting these inspections.”
He said Negi had sought the urgent reconstruction of some school buildings in his constituency. “Some of these schools are still operating in buildings that are unsafe,” Sood said.
Taking a dig at the previous AAP government, Ashish Sood stated that the previous government merely polished a few schools in Rouse Avenue and Patparganj and created an illusion of an “education revolution.”
