SDMC wants celebrities to share their success stories, boost students’ morale

Schools managed by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) are going to get a starry image makeover.

Schools managed by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) are going to get a starry image makeover.

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The education committee of the corporation has decided to rope in well-known personalities like cricketers Virat Kohli and Virender Sehwag to interact with their students so that the schools get more recognition and the students more exposure.

After years of criticism regarding poor quality of education in MCD schools, the three new corporations are chalking out ways to improve the condition of schools in their jurisdiction.

According to Satish Upadhyay, chairman of education committee of SDMC, the corporation is planning to approach famous personalities to visit their schools and share their success stories with the students.

"It will be a good opportunity for our students who belong to economically weaker sections of society. They will be able to learn a lot and will look forward to attending classes," said Upadhyay.

While the list of personalities is still not finalised, the SDMC has shortlisted names of Magsaysay award winner Rajendra Singh, former president Abdul Kalam, cricketers Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli and environmentalist Sunita Narain among others.

Explaining the idea behind the plan, Upadhyay said due to years of negligence, the confidence level of teachers and students in MCD schools are low.

"They feel that they cannot compete with students from private schools. By bringing in famous people, the confidence level will get a boost and both teachers and students will perform better," he added.

Out of a total of 1,759 schools of erstwhile MCD, 592 fall in SDMC, 392 under East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) and 775 fall under the jurisdiction of North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).