Delhi CM orders structural audit of all govt schools

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta ordered a structural audit of government schools after discovering serious infrastructure and safety issues during a visit.

Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Friday ordered a structural audit of all government schools in Delhi after an inspection at a school in north Delhi revealed several gaps in basic infrastructure and safety measures, officials said.

Gupta also found the school’s fire safety system to be non-functional (@BJP4Delhi)

Following complaints regarding inadequate facilities, the chief minister visited Government Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Roop Nagar on Friday morning, according to officials. Gupta interacted with students and reviewed the condition of drinking water facilities, toilets, fire safety systems, among others.

Students told her that the school’s RO systems and water coolers had remained non-functional for a long period, forcing many students to drink tap water. Students also flagged issues related to toilets, including broken doors, irregular cleaning and inconsistent water supply, officials said.

Gupta also found the school’s fire safety system to be non-functional. She directed school officials to address all safety-related issues and said negligence in students’ safety would not be tolerated. Students also informed the CM about shortage of teachers in the school, officials said.

“The structural audit will help assess the condition of infrastructure and essential facilities in government schools. The exercise will include an assessment of the structural stability of buildings along with drinking water arrangements, sanitation, hygiene and fire safety preparedness,” Gupta said during the visit.

Officials said directions for the audit are being issued to the concerned departments.

Gupta said that nearly 700 government schools in Delhi require either new buildings or extensive redevelopment work, noting that many school structures are deteriorating and are around 40 to 50 years old.

“What matters is ensuring real facilities, a safe environment and quality education for children,” she said.

Following the inspection, the administration also criticised the previous government’s education model. Gupta said that several basic issues in schools had remained unresolved despite extensive promotion of education reforms in recent years.

“Had the previous government genuinely strengthened the education system, students would not be struggling for basic facilities today,” Gupta said.

Officials said further inspections of schools are likely to be carried out in the coming weeks as part of the audit and infrastructure review process.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) did not respond to HT for a comment till the time of going to print.