Resource crunch plagues MCD schools

This claim has been challenged by the All India Lawyers8217; Union AILU in a series of public interest petitions.

Counsel for AILU Ashok Aggarwal questioned the MCD8217;s claim that it lacks resources, when it says it is providing free text-books, mid-day meals, medical facilities, uniforms and merit scholarships.

In an affidavit filed before the High Court, director PE, MCD, Shakuntala D. Gamlin, stated: 8220;The municipal schools need more resources for improving infrastructural facilities. The MCD is facing a resource crunch and is not able to provide all the physical facilities to its schools which the high-fee public schools have8221;.

In view of this, any comparison between children studying in public schools and children in the MCD8217;s primary schools is unreasonable and unfair, she said. 8220;All endeavours are being made by the corporation to provide the best possible education within the available resources,8221; she added.

The MCD also admitted that children of better-off parents have been leaving and applying for admission to private schools. The corporation, the affidavit stated, was making all efforts to upgrade municipal schools through projects like the Primary Education Enhancement Programme, an Australian-aided project funded by the United Nations Childrens8217; Fund UN-ICEF.

To follow it up, Gamlin said, a multi-pronged approach 8212; creation of good infrastructural facilities, setting up of permanent school buildings, continued in-service training for teachers coupled with incentives like mid-day meals, free school text books, uniforms, stipends for school children and strengthening of parent-teacher associations 8212; has been adopted to bring in all the children between the age group of five and 11 years to the schools.

AILU has filed four PILs on the conditions of MCD primary schools.

In the first one, it said the MCD schools lacked basic facilities like buildings, drinking water, sanitation facilities, boundary walls, playgrounds, blackboards, chairs and tables. There were no medical facilities in the schools and they did not provide merit scholarships.

In the second, it pointed out that the schools were not providing free mid-day meals to their students, though providing the food was mandatory. The funds sanctioned for the purpose were either unutilised or were being misused.

In the third one, the All India Lawyers8217; Union said that the MCD was violating the free uniform scheme for primary school students. It said though tenders were allotted, winter clothes were not provided even as the climate was changing. Though Rs 3.40 crore, earmarked for the purpose, was lying with the MCD, no clothes were provided to the students even as the 1998-99 academic year was coming to an end.

AILU followed it up with a fourth one saying that the MCD was not appointing teachers for its schools and more than 4000 vacancies were pending. Because there were not enough teachers, the students could not expect a proper teaching environment in the schools.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi is running 1,800 primary schools, 33 independent nursery schools, 863 nursery classes within the primary schools and 43 aided schools.