Delhi govt schools to get alumni associations

Schools run by the Delhi government will soon have their own alumni associations, with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Friday directing the Education department to institutionalise a system for this purpose.

According to the plan, the schools will organise annual alumni meets to engage with their former students. Engagement of schools with their alumni is a practice followed by most private schools.

An official said that the move is in line with the government's efforts to make government schools at par with private schools.

In a letter to the Directorate of Education, Sisodia has directed the Department to draw up a detailed plan to institutionalise alumni associations, meets and events.

"It is important to inspire students to improve their academic performance. This can be done by alumni from the same school, who have been successful academically and professionally," Sisodia, who also holds the Education portfolio, said.

He has also directed the Department to launch a website for former students of all government schools to register themselves as the alumni. The schools will be asked to reach out to successful alumni and invite them to interact with students.

Sisodia also told the Department to make a website where former government school students can register themselves.

Schools will be asked to reach out to successful former students and invite them to interact and inspire current students. Sisodia has asked officials to prepare a plan of action on this, to be submitted to him by August 1.

Alumni associations are important means of connecting current students of a school to a strong network of people, through which they have the chance to explore opportunities even after finishing school, the official said.

He said the step will go a long way in providing students access to many opportunities.