Promising a revamp in Delhi’s education system, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said it will form its own education board on the lines of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), come out with a new syllabus and amend existing education laws. In a first-of-its kind interaction under one roof, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia met principals of all Government schools at Thyagaraj Sports Complex. The announcement came during the interactive session.
“Education in Delhi is still working on an Act drafted in 1973. The world has moved on but we are still stuck in a time warp,” Sisodia said, seeking suggestions from principals to amend it. “We don’t even have our own education board. We need it now more than ever along with a new syllabus. I am not saying CBSE or NCERT is off beam but we will have our own board as per the needs of Delhi,” he said, without giving any timeline to the proposal.
While speaking at the interaction session, Kejriwal said education is the priority of his Government. He claimed that the Government’s seriousness can be gauged with this first-of-its kind interaction. “If we can impart better education, we can wipe out poverty and unemployment. We need to bring two major changes in the education system — improvement of infrastructure and quality of education,” Kejriwal said.
In a move to improve infrastructure, Delhi Government has mapped all Government schools and drawn up a list of infrastructural requirements. “Education Department has mapped all schools in terms of needs and availability of land. We have sent this proposal to the PWD asking them to take note of the student-teacher ratio. No classroom may have more than 40 students. They will have to deliver these classrooms in the next one-and-a-half years,” Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal said his five-year target is to bring Delhi Government schools at par with private schools. “90 per cent Government school principals still send their wards to private schools,” Kejriwal rued. The Education Department has also identified dearth of benches, desks, laboratories, toilets, computer rooms and auditoria. To fulfil their prepoll promise, Kejriwal announced plans to open 45 new model schools in a year. “We will open 45 new schools in a year and they will be at par with private schools. We will also ensure that existing schools are updated according to parameters of a model school,” Kejriwal said.