CM Rekha launches heritage clubs in 75 Government schools

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday launched Heritage Clubs in 75 CM Shri Government Schools, aimed at directly connecting students with Delhi’s historical, cultural, architectural and documentary heritage through practical, student-centric activities.

The Heritage Clubs will be run jointly by the Department of Art, Culture and Language and the Delhi Archives. The Chief Minister said every activity in a school, every initiative and every page of a book matters for a child’s future, and the clubs would serve as a means of linking students directly with the city’s rich heritage.

Education Minister Ashish Sood, Art, Culture and Language Minister Kapil Mishra, Department Secretary K Mahesh, Director of Education Ankita Anand, and a large number of teachers and principals from CM Shri Schools attended the launch.

The Chief Minister said ensuring education, safety and a better environment for children was a shared responsibility. She said Delhi carries a rich history, home to significant aspects of different historical periods, cultural traditions, religious sites, monuments and architectural heritage, and that the Heritage Clubs would let students go beyond textbooks to see, understand and experience this heritage first-hand.

The Chief Minister said several chapters of history had not yet adequately reached children, and the clubs would give students an opportunity to learn about, understand and reflect on these chapters.

She said the country should move forward with a strong understanding of its heritage and identity, and that the clubs, though a small step, could build a sense of responsibility among children toward knowing and preserving their heritage.

The Chief Minister said children should be empowered to understand their circumstances, face challenges, find solutions and move forward sensibly, and that addressing gaps in infrastructure, teacher facilities and the overall school environment required collective effort from the Chief Minister, ministers, officers, teachers and school heads alike.

Sood said the Government was giving special priority to art, culture, education and Delhi’s heritage, with a key objective of establishing Delhi as the country’s startup and cultural capital alongside its political capital.

Mishra said Delhi’s history extends beyond Mehrauli and the Red Fort, and the Heritage Clubs would introduce students to the city’s fuller history and culture, in line with Modi’s vision of “Development as well as Heritage.”