RTI shows DDA still to allot over 80 plots for schools to Education department
24 Dec, 2013
The reply to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has shown that there is huge shortage of government schools in Delhi when it comes to meeting the requirements of Right to Education Act.
The communications between the Directorate of Education (DoE) and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), obtained through the exercise of RTI Act, shows that the DoE has been asking DDA to release plots meant for schools but the allotment is still to be made. The letter from the Director, Education given in the reply showed that DoE is running 970 schools in 680 buildings with 290 in second shifts. It also stated that due to school enrolments increasing by almost 1 lakh each year, at least 250 schools need to be opened in order to maintain student-teacher ratios prescribed by RTI Act.
More so, the reply also states that violating its principle of allotting 50% of school sites for private and 50% for government schools, the DDA has been allotting almost double the sites to private agencies than to the government. The reply also contains a list of over 80 plots that are to be allotted for the schools to the DoE but DDA hasn’t yet released the sites.