Private help to install water facilities at schools

The education department plans to rope in private companies and non-governmental organisations to install RO systems in government schools to ensure their students get clean water to drink.

The education department plans to rope in private companies and non-governmental organisations to install RO systems in government schools to ensure their students get clean water to drink.

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Delhi education minister Kiran Walia said such a project has been successful at a New Delhi Municipal Council school in Gole market. “An electronics major has installed RO systems in the school and its students are getting clean drinking water. We are trying to have the same company install RO systems in 200 Delhi government schools,” Walia said.

To overcome the shortage of water in washrooms of some schools, the education department has also decided to dig borewells. “We already have the approval of the central ground water board to dig borewells in 20-odd schools. The work will start soon,” she added.

In a meeting with senior education department officials, the minster reviewed the infrastructure and availability of staff in various government schools. Admitting that shortage of teachers is one of the biggest issues, Walia said the department has already advertised to hire 10,000 teachers. Officials said 1,000 of the teachers would be trained to handle students with disabilities.

“We hope to have these teachers within a month. Two lakh new desks for our students has been put out to tender,” Walia said.