MCD mulls use of schools, community halls for skilling programmes in Delhi

MCD runs 1,514 municipal primary schools from 1,186 building complexes, catering to around 700,000 students

New Delhi

School premises will be available only from 3-8pm. (Representative photo/HT Archive)

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is mulling to use the premises of over 1,100 schools and underutilised community halls to run skill development centres, and two policy proposals in this regard will be put up for the standing committee’s approval later this week, officials aware of the matter said.

A senior MCD official said that the policy mandates that the agencies take the equipment with them after use and clean the school premises daily to make it ready for teaching the next day.

“Many MCD schools are running in single shift operations where school premises are not being utilised after school hours. The space in these schools can be leveraged for the purpose of skill development and vocational training. If institutions and NGOs with good credentials and desirous of using school premises, MCD can consider the request...,” the proposal moved by the education department reads.

MCD runs 1,514 municipal primary schools from 1,186 building complexes, catering to around 700,000 students.

The scheme will only be open to implement government schemes or CSR undertaken by public sector undertakings, such as Skill India mission, Pradhanmantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, Jan Shikshan Sansthan, Craftsmen training scheme, Vocational training programme for women and SANKALP scheme.

The senior MCD official cited above said: “They (those using the premises) will not be allowed any addition or alteration in the building structures. School premises will be available only between 3pm and 8pm.”

The official said that memorandum of understanding for one year is proposed initially.

The proposal moved by the community services department states that there are 299 community halls and eight community centres run by the department, of which 278 units are functional. Of these, 114 community halls and eight centres have been identified as vacant or underutilised. “These can be effectively leveraged for conducting vocational training and skill development programmes,” the department said in its proposal.

“If any community hall is allotted to the institution and that hall is booked by the citizen as per existing policy then the agency shall vacate the center in a clean manner for use of the booking party on booking date,” the proposal reads.

The move follows a review meeting on the underutilisation of community centres and halls helmed by chief minister Rekha Gupta last month. Despite high demand for spaces to hold community functions and weddings in Delhi, a large chunk of community centres run by corporations remain severely underutilised.