The Municipal Corporation of Delhi's Education Committee is set to launch an outreach activity aimed at increasing enrolments in its schools after a marginal decline in student numbers. According to Education Committee Chairperson Yogesh Verma, MCD schools currently have around 6.5 lakh students, and the aim is to raise this figure by at least one lakh. "As part of the plan, two teachers from each school will visit different clusters and neighbourhoods every Saturday to encourage parents and families to enrol their children," Verma told PTI. Officials said the teachers will highlight the benefits of MCD-run schools, such as free meals, uniforms and stationery. To motivate staff, the corporation will also institute a 'Nigam Award' for teachers who are successful in bringing in higher numbers of students. Meanwhile, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and counselling support from clinical psychologists — children with disabilities studying in Delhi government schools will now have access to a wider range of therapeutic services through the Education department’s resource centres. The new services have been mandated under a recent order by the Directorate of Education’s (DoE) Inclusive Education branch. At present, according to officials, there are 24 resource centres in Delhi. Of these, 10 were launched by Home Minister Amit Shah last month. The 10 new centres were opened as part of the Delhi government’s ‘Sewa Pakhwada’ campaign. Officials said the centres will benefit over 12,500 children with disabilities, offering not just therapy but also family counselling, sensory and virtual reality rooms, and formal assessment facilities. In addition, schools have been directed to strictly follow the guidelines laid out in the recent order to ensure smooth functioning and coordination among Special Education Teachers (SETs), Resource Centre Coordinators, and therapists. The centres will function six days a week, including during school vacations, from 9 am to 5 pm. Each therapy session will last 45 minutes, with up to eight sessions conducted daily.
