SDMC partners with NGOs to facelift primary schools

In order to ensure quality education among underprivileged and economically weaker students, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has decided to facelift primary schools in its area. 

The Corporation has informed to select schools facing less enrollment, drop out problems, poor infrastructure/facilities and lack of quality with an aim to turn them into “model schools” in the field of primary education. The SDMC has announced to cover as many as 14 schools in the first phase and to expand it in later phases. It is also learnt that the Lieutenant Governor will kick off the programme from a Lajpat Nagar school on Thursday.

As per the report, the Corporation along with several NGOs and educationalists had conceived the plan and it was mulled to put the programme under trial wherein, enrollment is less than 140 as it was said to weaken the efforts in the direction of universilisation of primary education. The SDMC officials claimed that during the trial, it helped to increase the enrollment and enrich quality education, additional curricular activities, etc among the children. 

Following this, the Corporation decided to extend the facility to nearly 67,000 underprivileged or most disadvantaged students enrolled in as many as 595 primary schools in different phases.

The officials said that the programme will be run by NGOs hence it has no financial implication from the Corporation. 

“The SDMC, under its School Quality Enhancement Programme 2015, has instructed the NGOs to provide attention on quality of teaching/education, introduction of innovative methods, regular and continuous enrichment of the teachers’ skills, communication and affinity with the students and keeping a close eye on the monitoring of each child through proper tracking of progress, parents-teachers meet along with other activities. They have also been asked to renovate the infrastructure and premises including classrooms, furniture playgrounds and related equipment apart from selection of its teaching personnel after ensuring proper training,” said an official.

The official further added that to shape up the project, a total of eight NGOs have been engaged and an MoU has also been inked. A committee of Corporation staff has also been constituted to look into the results of reformation. Notably, the SDMC area has as many as 595 primary schools where more than 3.5 lakh students are enrolled.