Indian Express 15.12.2009
MCD mulls foray into secondary education, to submit proposal
Despite crumbling infrastructure and schools functioning out of tents, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is considering foraying into the secondary education arena, according to officials.
The issue came up during a recent standing committee meeting on education, and MCD officials said they have even sent a letter to Commissioner K S Mehra expressing concern over the breach of contract between the civic agency and the government formalised in 1970 when the Delhi government took over 400 secondary schools and about 11 senior secondary schools that were run by the MCD until then.
It was agreed that primary education would be the domain of the MCD and secondary and senior secondary education would fall under the state government, Prithiviraj Sahni, education committee chairman, said.
Around 10 years ago, however, the state government started the Sarvodaya Vidyalayas, which provide education from Class I to Class XII.
“They’ve breached the contract and we are now considering running secondary schools too. We sent a letter to the commissioner expressing our concerns about a month ago,” Sahni said. Officials also plan to put forward a proposal on the issue during the ongoing MCD budget session.
For the agency, the issue is not just about encroachment on their area, but also the fact that parents prefer the Sarvodaya Vidyalayas over the MCD schools. “Parents prefer schools where they can enroll the child for the entire duration of school education,” Sahni said.
Under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, primary education is a function of the civic agency. There are around 1,818 Corporation schools in the city. Besides, the MCD, the Delhi Cantonment Board and the New Delhi Municipal Council, too, offer primary education.
There are also around 375 Sarvodaya Vidyalayas that provide primary education.
While the MCD has been trying to improve the infrastructure of their schools and increase the number of teachers, the agency said the government has cut its budget down, and hence crippled its plans.
The civic body is also trying to revamp its education methods. The agency launched its project on setting up English medium schools in city’s 267 wards this year.
“Once students left our schools after Class V, they faced problems with language and often lagged behind. Some even dropped out. So we decided to set up English medium schools,” Sahni said. With only one English-medium MCD school in each ward, the school has had to do a draw of lots to chose students, he said.
The state government sources, meanwhile, claimed that the Sarvodaya Vidyalayas fill up a crucial gap in the primary education sector.
Pointing to the various problems that plague the MCD schools, a government official said, “They were failing”.
The MCD, on its part, maintained that the government schools are overcrowded and the civic body can help ease the burden. “We can also arrange the funding,” Sahni said.
