90 more schools will be converted into general shift schools: Edu dept

New Delhi: The Education department of the Delhi government has decided to increase the number of general shift schools in the existing 1,030 government schools. Around 90 more schools will be converted into general shift schools, said a senior official after a review meeting on Thursday.

The official also said that 10,000 more classrooms will be added to the existing 32,000 classrooms by the end of June which will increase the total number of classrooms to 42,000. An additional 2,000 classrooms are expected to be constructed by the end of August.

In an internal meeting, the Education department gave directions to officials to review all the government schools and document the maximum capacity of each school. An official, on condition of anonymity, said, "We are trying to document the capacity of each government school. For example, if there are currently 500 students in a particular school an additional 400 students will disturb the functioning of the school. To avoid such situations the education department is taking up this initiative."

A senior official said, "in the first phase we built 8,000 classrooms now in the second phase we hope to deliver 12,000 additional classrooms. This exercise is part of the second phase. Reviewing each school and documenting its maximum capacity is part of the process."

"We are trying to convert more schools into general shifts instead of running it in two shifts. The additional classrooms are for that. According to the latest reviews, around 90 more schools can be converted into general shifts. The public works department is working with the education department on this. By June end out of the 12,000 classrooms the PWD will deliver 10,000 classrooms to the education department to work on increasing the general shift schools," added the senior official.

The official also said that the Education department wants to document the capacity of each school, the existing number of students, the maximum capacity, and review the infrastructure facilities so that plans for the schools can be made accordingly. "A sudden surplus of students in one school may affect the day to day management of that particular school. The school may not be equipped to cater to that many students," the official added. Delhi has 1,030 government-run schools, 215 government-aided schools and 1,352 private schools.