CWG blues: MCD schools get fewer students

Even as the city celebrated the spirit of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) with joy and pride, the forced eviction of migrant labourers before the Games has ensured that less number of children went to MCD-run schools this year. NEELAM PANDEY reports.

Even as the city celebrated the spirit of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) with joy and pride, the forced eviction of migrant labourers before the Games has ensured that less number of children went to MCD-run schools this year.

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According to the official figures provided by the civic body till August, against 1.84 lakh students admitted last year, the number has gone down by 11,000 with only 1.72 lakh students taking admission for the current academic year.

Not only this, as a number of slum clusters were also razed for many infrastructure projects, the number of students in MCD schools has also dipped from 9.48 lakh in 2009 to 9.28 lakh in 2010.

Going by the figures of new admissions taken this year, combined with the number of dropouts, on an average, the MCD schools this year have received 20,000 less number of children.

"After the Games projects got over, hordes of migrant labourers were forcefully removed from the city. Slum clusters, where a number of these students come from, were also demolished in the process, which also contributed in increasing the students' drop-out rate in the schools," said Mahender Nagpal, chairman of education committee of the MCD.

"Our schools primarily cater to students from economically weaker section of society. In the past one year the cost of living in the city has tremendously gone up, which has also been instrumental in forcing these people to leave the city," added Nagpal.