SOCIAL JURIST                                                                                  478-479, Lawyers Chambers

A Civil Rights Group                                                                   Western Wing, Tis Hazari Courts,

Delhi - 110054

22.02.2007

To

The Commissioner

Municipal Corporation of Delhi

Town Hall, Chandni Chowk

Delhi

Dear Sir,

Please find enclosed hereto a report of Right to Education Task Force (RETF) of their visit on 19^th February 2007 to (i) MCD Primary School G – Block, Jahangir Puri, Delhi, and (ii) MCD Primary School, D – Block, Jahangir Puri, Delhi.  The report reveals that these schools are in shambles.

Kindly take immediate and appropriate action in the matter with intimation to the undersigned.

Thanking you

Yours faithfully,

(Ashok Agarwal)

Advocate

Advisor, Social Jurist

M: 9811101923

Copy to:

Mrs. Indira Yadav, Director (Primary Education), Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Nigam Bhawan, Kashmiri Gate, Delhi.

REPORT

MCD PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN SHAMBLES

A Civil Rights NGO, RETF (Right To Education Task Force), is spearheading a popular though highly challenging campaign to improve the lot of MCD’s Primary Schools in the capital under the dynamic leadership of a livewire Social Jurist, Shri Ashok Agarwal.  A team of RETF activists comprising Bhai M.P.Singh (Coordinator) Shri Harjit Singh and N.N.Kesar made surprise visits to two identified MCD Primary School Complexes in Jahangir Puri on February 19^th ’07. Shri Manoj Rana of the Education Department assisted the team. Some startling revelations came to light, which will shock Delhites and MCD bureaucracy. Huge amounts of taxpayer’s money are being spent to run these schools, most of which are in a state of utter neglect. RETF has taken up this formidable task of cleaning the proverbial “ Augeans Stables” not only to improve the quality of education but also to provide the much-needed facelift to the Cinderella’s of the capital’s primary education. Here is a most depressing picture of these schools crying out for urgent attention by MCD authorities.

I   MCD Primary School in ‘G’ Block, Jahangir Puri, Delhi

Large garbage dumps greet you with stinking smell on both sides of the main entrance gate. Almost 1000 students have to cross over everyday a stagnant/deep ‘Nala’ over- flowing with filth and garbage to reach the school gate which is unmanned and without even a lock. Students can leave the premises and anyone can enter unhindered anytime of the day. Only a few days back a deadbody was reportedly found floating in the Nala. Will MCD authorities wake up from their deep slumber and do something about it urgently? Look at the following horrifying facts:

1. For over 1000 students / staff / visitors in both the morning (girls) and afternoon (boys) shifts in this sprawling premises there is just one dirty Toilet without proper water arrangements/washbasins. A Toilet Complex of at least 5 toilets, separately for boys and girls, must be provided urgently.

2. The boundary wall behind the Head Masters Office has been partly encroached by a neighboring congested slum whose residents use the school premises as a garbage dump. MCD must demolish this encroachment and raise the wall to at least 8 feet. Similarly, the boundary wall on the right side when you enter the school should be raised to 8 feet so that the hoodlums of the surrounding slums are unable to jump over the wall or throw garbage from the road which, incidentally, is almost 4 feet higher than the school ground.

3. The two public Toilets on each side of the entrance gate should be shifted to some other sites to improve the land scaping and cleanliness.

4. The asbestos roofing and the electrical wiring of all the structures needs total replacement since these are broken beyond repairs. The lighting in the classrooms is extremely poor and one wonders how students can read/ write. Not all lights and fans work properly.

5. Most classrooms do not have any benches/ chairs and students have to squat on icy-cold, potholed, uneven floors covered by tattering mats. Adequate no. of benches and chairs must be provided without further delay. No dustbins were in sight. It looked as if the classrooms had not been dusted for ages.

6. Election posters of contesting politicians should not be allowed on school walls.

7. There is no horticultural presence worth its name in the sprawling premises. MCD’s Horticultural Department to please take immediate attention.

8. Thanks to the crime-infested slums surrounding the school, there are frequent thefts. Late night on 18^th Feb’07, a criminal jumped into the school compound to steal some property. The vigilant Chowkidar caught him red-handed and called the police. However in the scuffle the Chowkidar was bit and injured badly. Hence the urgent need for improving security. MCD administration should take immediate action and also consider rewarding the Chowkidar.

9. The school has a large compound but there are large, depressed/uneven areas where water collects and stagnates. This requires urgent repairs and proper leveling.

10. There are no proper signages, classroom markings, notice boards. Even the main entrance gate door does not have a signboard.

11. More potable drinking water points should be provided for the over-populated school.

12. A few classes did not have any teachers. They were either on leave or absent. The students had to contend with their own self-studies, noise, fun and frolic.

II      MCD Primary School in ‘D’ Block, Jahangir Puri, Delhi

1. The RETF team observed that things were better in this sprawling school. We were told that it is one of the best MCD school’s in the area. However, there is much scope for betterment there also. Again, for a crowd of about 1000 students in both morning (girls) and afternoon (boys) shifts there is just a solitary ill-kept Toilet. There is a strong case for a Toilet Complex of at least 5 toilets separately for boys and girls (one toilet for 100 students is not asking for too much). This needs to be done as early as possible.

2. The old structure should be demolished and in its place a 2/3 storey building can be built yielding much more open areas for play grounds.

3. The drinking water point needs immediate improvement to avoid queues particularly in the hot season.

4. Here again, absence of adequate trees and horticulture is another conspicuous negative factor one notices. The large compound can be beautified with more shaded trees and flowers beds / pots and Students can be encouraged to adopt each one for a year class wise.

5. There is no special arrangement for physically-handicapped students which number 3 to 4 at present. MCD administration must attend to this aspect.

6. Distribution of books / stationery needs urgent streamlining. Teachers in all MCD schools have a genuine complaint that books arrive very late and that too in driblets. Authorities must ensure that all the books are provided in one lot on the very first day the class starts.

7. One creditable feature of MCD schools is their Computer Rooms which interest and attract students. The no. of computers should be increased suitably to ensure that students don’t have to wait for there turn. It goes without saying that children love computer games, comics etc.

8. Absence of facilities for music/dance/painting and other hobbies was conspicuous in the school, as in other MCD schools. How can you develop aesthetics at this tender age without the above facilities?

9. There is no substitute for individual enterprise / dynamism on the part of the Headmaster, or for that matter, each teacher. The team discovered that the main reason behind this school being a better one compared to other MCD schools was the person who sits in the Headmaster chair- Shri Har Krishan, who also happen to be the President of the MCD School Teachers Union .He is reportedly very resourceful and a go-getter because of the Unions office he holds. He is otherwise also a painstaking and devoted teacher –this is what all the teachers thought about him. One should pray that all the Headmasters and teachers in MCD schools have similar professional abilities and commitment to make the best of the existing facilities and resources to improve teaching standards.

10. How can you have a good turnout with just one uniform provided at present to each student? There is a very strong case for giving two uniforms for obvious reasons.

11. Parent teacher meetings must be organized regularly and more frequently to enlist parent’s active participation in the child’s studies and growth. RETF volunteers should be invited to these meetings without fail.

12. Midday meals are OK but why can’t MCD give at least one fruit a banana or an apple or groundnuts to students. This won’t cost much but the benefits are immense. Children love fruits and this added attraction will also arrest tendency to dropout to some extent.

13. The team saw hardly any dustbins in the large premises. Level of cleanliness can be further improved if the safai karamchari is activated and each classroom is provided a dustbin besides keeping some in the verandahs and compound.

(Ashok Agarwal)

Advocate

Advisor, Social Jurist

M: 9811101923

19.02.2007
Email - socialjurist@socialjurist.com