Delhi govt to start five English-medium ‘schools of excellence’ next year

Sisodia said that the five Schools of Excellence will be co-educational, from nursery to Class 12, and will be run in a single shift. The schools will start functioning from April 2018 in Rohini, Khichripur, Kalkaji, Madanpur Khadar and Dwarka

In an attempt to provide quality education to children, the Delhi government will start five English-medium government schools next year in April as a part of the government’s School of Excellence scheme. The primary classes will have 25 students and senior classes will have 40 students in every section.

Sisodia said that the five Schools of Excellence will be co-educational, from nursery to Class 12, and will be run in a single shift. The schools will start functioning from April 2018 in Rohini, Khichripur, Kalkaji, Madanpur Khadar and Dwarka (Arun Sharma/HT PHOTO)

The decision was taken in the Cabinet chaired by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday, said deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. Other decisions related to support for sportspersons and setting skill centres were also taken.

At present, all the government schools are Hindi medium and have one English-medium section for most of the classes. Sisodia said that the five Schools of Excellence will be co-educational, from nursery to Class 12, and will be run in a single shift. The schools will start functioning from April 2018 in Rohini, Khichripur, Kalkaji, Madanpur Khadar and Dwarka

“The admission in Nursery to Class 5 will be done based on neighbourhood criterion but because there are only 25 seats, a draw of lots will be conducted. For next year, for classes 9 and 11, admission will be based on an entrance exam. After 2018, the students from within the system will move to next classes,” Sisodia said.

Government-run schools in the city are of three categories: Rajkiya Vidyalaya which has classes 6-12, Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya which has classes 6-12 and admission is based on an entrance test, and Sarvodaya Vidyalaya which have all classes starting from nursery.

Sisodia said that government school teachers, who have outstanding performance, will be placed in these schools. “There will be two special education teachers, one full-time nurse and one part-time nurse in these schools,” he said.

Sisodia said that as of now, the government’s Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya take students after an entrance test but the real challenge is to give good education to every child that comes to the school. “At these five schools, students will be taken from the neighbourhood without any filter,” he said.

Aid for sportspersons

The cabinet also approved a scheme to support hundreds of sportsperson for their needs related to food, nutrition, sports equipments, sports kits, training, travelling, boarding and lodging (within the country and abroad), and medical needs.

The quantum of support will be according to the demand, but will not exceed Rs 16 lakh per year for each sportsperson.

The players will be selected if they figure in the top eight national ranks in individual sports in their age category or if they have represented Delhi at national level in the calendar year in the respective age category.

“There will be no age limit but the player should be a bona fide resident of Delhi for the last three years. For a student, he/she should have enrolled for past two years or passed out from Delhi school or college,” a statement from the government said.

World class skill centre

The cabinet also approved setting up a world class skill centre at Jonapur Village in south Delhi at an estimated cost of around Rs 254 crore. The institute will give training in ten courses, including Hospitality and Tourism, IT & IT enabled services, Logistics and Electronics. “For the first phase there will be 5,000 students and admission will start after two years,” Sisodia said.