Delhi cabinet nod for setting up 100 schools of specialised excellence

The Delhi cabinet on Monday approved the setting up 100 schools of specialised excellence to cater to children with specific interests in science, arts, and skills education

The Delhi cabinet on Monday approved the setting up 100 schools of specialised excellence to cater to children with specific interests in science, arts, and skills education. The schools will cater to students from classes 9 to 12, the government said on Monday.

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“In order to better serve the needs of gifted students of government schools of Delhi, the Delhi government plans to establish “Schools of Specialised Excellence” that will cater to students who are gifted in various areas of study such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), performing and visual arts, humanities and high-end 21st-century skills,” the government said in a statement, adding that the cabinet approved the setting up of 100 such schools.

“These schools will be choice-based and will cover grades 9 to 12, i.e., the last four years will be in the “5+3+3+4” framework of schooling introduced by the New Education Policy (NEP), 2020,” the statement added.

The government vision includes upgrading the existing government schools to the level of 22 Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalayas and six existing Schools of Excellence – both categories of institutions are high-end and resource-rich. While RPVVs only have classes from 6 to 12, the medium of instruction in SoEs is English.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia had announced setting up of 100 schools of excellence in the state budget earlier this month. On Monday, he said the schools would provide the “right platform” to students to hone their skills in their area of interest.

“..These new Schools of Specialised Excellence will nurture specialisations among children having special aptitude and interest in the four domains [STEM, Performing and Visual Arts, Humanities, and skill education],” the education minister said.

In order to enable students to achieve their highest potential, the schools will aim to provide holistic and experiential learning opportunities through good infrastructure, creativity and problem-solving focused learning and teaching, strong partnerships with universities and industry leaders, mentorship schemes and easy access to role models.