HC seeks Delhi gov't stand on plea alleging state-run schools not imparting full-time education 

Some of the schools are holding two hours of classes while some are calling children only on alternate days
Image for representation purpose only | Pic: EdexLive
Image for representation purpose only | Pic: EdexLive

The Delhi High Court on Thursday, September 15, sought the city government's stand on a plea alleging that some state-run schools in the city's northeast area were not imparting “full-time” education.

A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad issued a notice to the Delhi government on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by NGO Social Jurist, as stated in a report by PTI. 

The NGO argued that the fundamental Right To Education, guaranteed under the Constitution and Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, was being violated under these circumstances.

Delhi government counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi said in the aftermath of COVID-19, “everyone has rushed to government schools” and the government was conscious of the infrastructure and other issues in the area, which has "higher density".

What were the petitioner’s arguments?

Appearing for the petitioner, lawyer Ashok Agarwal said the situation had been ongoing since April 2022 and there was no action from the government to remedy it. Some of the schools are holding two hours of classes while some are calling children only on alternate days. “I have written to them repeatedly but (there has been) no response, no action,”” he said, as per PTI. 

“The PIL highlighted the fact that students studying in some of the respondent Government of NCT of Delhi run schools in North East District area namely, schools at Khajuri, Sabhapur, Tukmirpur, Sonia Vihar, Karawal Nagar, etc, are following a pattern of teaching wherein they are imparting only two hours of daily education or teaching on alternate days thereby affecting education of more than one lakh students,” said the plea filed through lawyers Agarwal and Kumar Utkarsh, as per PTI. 

The plea added that hundreds of students and parents of above stated schools had orally requested advocate Ashok Agarwal on September 5. Apart from that, advocate Ashok Agarwal on September 13 received as many as 19 complaints from students studying in SKV Khajuri, SBV Khajuri, GGSSS Sonia Vihar, GBSSS Sonia Vihar, GGSSS Khajuri, GBSSS Karawal Nagar and GGSSS Sabhapur.

”The petitioner also submitted that, on an average, 5,000-6,000 students are enrolled in each of these schools and it was an alarming situation”, wherein, marginalised students were not getting complete attention from the Delhi government in the matter of their education, as per PTI. 

It further said that, under the law, it was the duty of government schools to impart education to students for a minimum of 200 working days and 800 instructional hours for Classes I to V and 220 working days and 1,000 instructional hours for Classes VI to VIII in an academic year.

“Such action on the part of respondents of NCT of Delhi would discourage students from continuing their studies. The actions/inactions are otherwise also bad in law,” the plea argued and prayed for the high court to direct the Delhi government to provide full-time education in these schools. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for December 7, as per PTI. 

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