Delhi HC says ‘alarming situation’ as over 1 lakh students attend school for 2 hours or on alternate days

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna in its November 21 order said, “This Court cannot tolerate such a state of affairs where young children belonging to an underprivileged category, who are the future of our society, are prevented from having proper formal education”.

Observing that the Delhi government’s affidavit on the issue “hardly inspires confidence”, the bench directed the government to file a detailed affidavit specifying the number of students studying in the schools situated in North East-I District, with a class-wise breakup to show the strength of children in each class.

The bench said the government shall outline how it intends to adjust the students studying in the schools in the North East-I District to other schools.

“The affidavit of the Delhi Government shall indicate in clear terms as to the number of students that shall be adjusted from each school in the North East-I District to other schools, clearly detailing the schools to which such students will be adjusted. The Delhi Government is also directed to indicate in its affidavit whether adequate teachers are available for imparting education to the said children in the new schools where they are sought to be adjusted,” the HC directed, asking the government to file the affidavit within three weeks.

“The number of classrooms and teachers available in the schools where the students from North East-I District are sought to be adjusted shall be clearly indicated by the Delhi Government,” said the HC.

As per the government’s status report, a new school building at Sri Ram Colony, Khajoori Chowk, is almost ready for possession by January 31, 2024. The report stated students with nearby residential addresses will be shifted to the new building at Sri Ram Colony after the same is completed.

According to the petitioner NGO Social Jurist, a civil rights group, North East-I District has a strength of 1,45,909 students in 48 schools running in 25 school buildings.

Student enrolment is quite high in comparison to the infrastructure and school buildings, especially in the schools in Khajoori Khas, Tukhmirpur, Sonia Vihar, Sabhapur, and Karawal Nagar. So the students are forced to study in schools offering only two hours of education per day or alternate day school in North East-I District.

The petition highlighted that schools like Sarvodya Kanya Vidyalaya and Sarvodya Bal Vidyalaya at Khajoori Khas are imparting only two hours of education to students. Those at Government Girls Senior Secondary School and Government Boys Senior Secondary School at Khajoori Khas and Sabhapur are called only on alternate days, it added.

The matter is next listed on February 19, 2024.