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Though summer holidays have officially begun in Delhi, around 150 senior students were at Sarvodaya Co-ed School, C-Block, Saraswati Vihar, Thursday, attending remedial classes. As students focused on their lessons, Education Minister Shri Ashish Sood arrived for an inspection — part of an ongoing review of government schools in the city.
The Minister visited two schools in the Shakur Basti Assembly constituency: Sarvodaya Co-educational School, Saraswati Vihar, and Government Senior Secondary School, Rani Bagh. He was accompanied by MLA Karnail Singh, the Director of Education, PWD officials, and officers from other departments concerned.
Following the visit, the minister said that based on complaints from MLAs, the Delhi government is conducting regular inspections and issuing directives for corrective action wherever deficiencies are found.
One of the key issues identified during Thursday’s inspection was the condition of swimming pools in both schools. Built in 2018 at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore each, the pools have never been made operational. According to Sood, there is no adequate water supply, and poor-quality material appears to have been used in their construction. At Rani Bagh, the pool’s flooring is crumbling and tiles around it are detaching.
The Minister instructed the Director of Education to initiate an investigation into the swimming pools and ordered a vigilance and departmental inquiry against the PWD engineers involved.
Criticising the previous government, Sood said, “The previous government misled people by showcasing just a few polished schools through ads. The current state of schools, even in constituencies represented by those who claimed to be pioneers of an education revolution, is very painful.”
He further added that the current Delhi government has increased the education budget by over 19% this year, approving a total allocation of Rs 19,291 crore. The aim, he said, is to improve the condition of all government schools and ensure a better future for students.
The Minister directed the Director of Education to install air conditioning in the multipurpose halls of both schools to provide relief from the summer heat. He also issued instructions to ensure proper cleanliness, access to clean drinking water, electricity, and safety arrangements in schools, with specific emphasis on facilities for girl students.
The Rani Bagh school building, which is nearly 40 years old, was also flagged during the visit. Sood proposed that a plan be prepared to construct a new building in its place.
While interacting with students, the Minister asked them about the quality of education and facilities in their schools. Many students raised their hands in unison to share aspirations of becoming doctors, engineers, and IAS or IPS officers.
Commending the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sood said access to higher education no longer depends on recommendations or donations. “Today, anyone — regardless of economic background — can secure admission purely based on merit through entrance examinations,” he said.
Sood also noted that the transparency brought into exams like the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) and NEET has eliminated corruption from the admission process.
On Wednesday, AAP leader and former Education Minister Manish Sisodia criticised Chief Minister Rekha Gupta for not meeting toppers more than a week after the CBSE results were announced.
“Today, the chair of power has grown so big that the hard work of children, their passion, their dreams — all seem too small in comparison. Delhi’s new rulers are afraid to look into the eyes of these children,” he had said after an interaction with Class X and XII toppers of government schools.
