Delhi govt schools to get 12,000 new rooms
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday passed the proposal to build over 12,000 new rooms to all the government schools in Delhi.
"9,981 classrooms, 106 multi-purpose halls, 328 laboratories, 1,067 toilet blocks, as well as 204 libraries, principal and vice-principal rooms, staffrooms, stair-cases etc will be built in existing premises of Delhi government schools, under the jurisdiction of Directorate of Education," said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
He added that the project will be undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs 2,892.65 crore (Rs 1,300 crore during 2018-19 and Rs 1,562.65 crores during 2019-20), with the Public Works Department as the executing agency for the project.
"8,000 additional rooms have already been constructed in Delhi government schools as part of the comprehensive agenda to impart quality education to the children of Delhi," said Sisodia, who also heads the Education Department.
He said the adverse student-classroom ratio (SCR) has to be reversed and the construction of new classrooms is an important step in this direction.
Schools in more than 280 school buildings are running in double shifts, with a high enrolment of students. The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government has also introduced new vocational streams in the school curriculum, for which additional classrooms will be required.
A Delhi government official said, "Keeping in view the increasing trend of population growth of Delhi and the above-mentioned requirements, an exercise was carried out for all the schools."
"The PWD was requested to survey all school buildings for preparing the estimates for construction of classrooms along with all the basic requirements i.e. multi-purpose halls, toilet blocks, labs, staffroom, staircases etc," he added.
The Education Department has instructed the PWD that "proper construction plan should be prepared in consultation with the heads of schools for maximum utilisation of space, as per FAR giving due consideration to open/playground area and complying with the technical feasibility as prescribed in building bylaws."
It also instructed that the plan should include the removal of temporary structures, i.e. tin sheds, asbestos shed, porta cabin etc.
The Education department has also directed that the plan for construction of multipurpose hall may be taken into consideration wherever required, and the estimate should also include provision for dual desks and all necessary furnishing for staffrooms, teacher's table and chair in classrooms and two almirahs.
The PWD would also make the estimate keeping in mind the provision of half white and half blackboard in classrooms.
Moreover, these schools would have sewer lines to be connected properly through main lines and wherever sewer line is not available, provision of STP may be incorporated.
