Delhi government ready to take over MCD schools on providing adequate funds: High Court

The responsibility of providing primary education lies with the local bodies, that is, municipal corporations of Delhi and the DoE provides education to children of classes VI onwards, the affidavit said.

The AAP government on Wednesday agreed in- principle in the Delhi High Court to run schools operated by the MCD and other bodies to avert “educational crisis” in the national capital if adequate funding is provided for them.

Delhi chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia(Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

The Directorate of Education (DoE) said in an affidavit that it is ready to take over the schools run by the Municipal Corporations, Delhi Cantonment Board and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) if legal provisions permit and adequate funds are provided.

The affidavit was filed before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao which listed the matter for further hearing on April 23.

DoE filed the response through Delhi government standing counsel Ramesh Singh on a petition filed by NGO Social Jurist which had sought implementation of an NCERT-panel recommendation to bring all public-funded schools under the Delhi government for betterment of education.

The NGO’s plea, filed through advocate Ashok Agarwal, said that over 25 lakh students study in the schools run by the Delhi government and local bodies here, and despite repeated recommendations of various committees, including the NCERT panel of 2010, they have not been brought under a unified body.

The responsibility of providing primary education lies with the local bodies, that is, municipal corporations of Delhi and the DoE provides education to children of classes VI onwards, the affidavit said.

The affidavit filed by DoE Deputy Director (Education) alleged that education is not in the priority list of the local bodies and it concurred with the NGO’s claim that it is facing serious neglect.

“As a result not only the fundamental right of children, enrolled in the schools of local bodies, to receive good quality education is being violated, it is unfair for them to not get similar kind of opportunities as their peers in Delhi government schools despite being the resident of the same territory,” it said.

It further said it was desirable to have all government school education set up in Delhi under one body and Delhi government is ready to take up that responsibility.

“This will enable children who are now enrolled in the schools of local bodies to receive good quality education at par with the presently enrolled students in the schools run by Delhi government. Further teachers and principals too would get better training opportunities and exposures as their peers in Delhi government schools,” the DoE said. The DoE said in the affidavit that “the issues with respect to various aspects including finances, post creations, land ownership and valuations, capacity of administering, budget provisions and statutory provisions may be decided by the high court in light of the in-principle agreement of the Delhi government to run these schools.” “If legal provisions permit and adequate funds are provided, to avert the existing educational crisis, the government of NCT of Delhi agrees in-principle to run the schools that are currently being run by the Municipal Corporations of Delhi and other bodies,” the DoE said.

It requested the high court to set up a high powered committee to supervise the implementation of its directions as it also entails amendment of central acts apart from other issues.

It urged the court to direct all concerned agencies to implement its direction with a sense of urgency as the matter pertains to the right of children to receive good quality education. While everyone else can wait, a child and childhood cannot, it said.

The NGO has sought a direction to authorities, particularly the Delhi government, to implement the recommendation of NCERT committee report, 2010.

The plea said that as per the NCERT committee report, the state-provided school education should be administered by a unified body, i.e. the Government of NCT of Delhi by taking over all the schools of local bodies including those run by municipal corporations.

“If all these schools are brought under the government of NCT of Delhi, there could be much better management and utilisation of physical infrastructure and academic resources,” it said.

The plea said that after the enactment of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, the responsibility of implementing this law has been given to the state government.

It alleged that standard of education of all public-funded schools was not up to the mark.

The plea said that for the betterment of education of children in Delhi, all the public-funded schools were required to be brought under the Delhi government.