Structural audits have found 14 Delhi government school buildings requiring demolition, with the government approving partial or complete razing of seven. The Directorate of Education (DoE) is assessing a total of 108 schools as part of the exercise.  

The exercise is part of a drive launched by the Delhi government to assess the condition of government school infrastructure after Chief Minister Rekha Gupta last year directed officials to improve the overall state of government schools. The DoE undertook a comprehensive digital profiling of existing school buildings, including third-party structural audits, to identify buildings requiring demolition and redevelopment. 

Officials said most of the identified school buildings are around 40 years old and in a dilapidated condition. Some schools are functioning from tin sheds or partially constructed buildings. 

“The exercise includes the assessment of the structural stability and overall condition of each building, detailed profiling of fixtures and furniture, and documentation of electrical, plumbing, fire safety and other essential installations. The profiling also evaluates the accessibility features of school premises in accordance with universal accessibility standards to ensure an inclusive learning environment for all students, including children with disabilities,” a DoE official said. 

Of the 108 schools, third-party audit reports have been submitted for 54. According to these reports, buildings in 14 schools require demolition. “Out of the 14 schools, the government has approved the demolition of either full or some blocks of seven schools over the last 45 days. Approvals for the remaining seven schools are under process and are likely to be completed in the coming weeks,” the official added.   

The seven schools are located in Chilla village, Jasola village, Karala, Baprola, Matiala, Neb Sarai and Shivaji Park. 

According to the official, audit reports for the remaining 54 schools are expected shortly, after which further action will be taken. 

“After demolition, the government plans to construct permanent Ground+4, earthquake-resistant school buildings with the aim of completing the work within a year,” said the official. During the construction period, students will be accommodated in other blocks of the same school or shifted to nearby schools. 

The DoE also plans to maximise classroom capacity through the redevelopment of these school sites. The official said proposals have been initiated to construct Ground+4 permanent school buildings on 27 vacant land parcels under the department. The projects are expected to increase classroom capacity, reduce overcrowding and improve the student-classroom ratio. 

New Delhi:

With several government teachers enlisted by the Election Commission as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, school authorities have been pushed into reworking timetables to tackle the staff shortage. 

In several schools, a single teacher is being assigned to manage two classes. On other occasions, students are being sent to the library or sports ground in the absence of teachers in classrooms. 

Principals who are struggling to make these arrangements have expressed concerns over the disruption of regular classes, especially ahead of the mid-term exams in September. 

Teachers who have been appointed as BLOs are also finding themselves stretched trying to manage both school and SIR duties, with work pouring into night hours. 

Earlier in the week, the Government Schools Teachers’ Association (GSTA) flagged the issue of academic loss in a notice to Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood. In his letter, Ajay Veer Yadav, GSTA general secretary, said, “A substantial number of trained teachers have been deployed as BLOs and BLO supervisors for the SIR exercise. Consequently, the absence of thousands of teachers from schools is likely to adversely impact the education of lakhs of students. Such academic loss cannot be adequately compensated at a later stage.”

Around 13,000 BLOs have been deployed on ground, which include government school teachers, anganwadi workers and ASHA workers. According to the official orders deploying them on BLO duty, they will be required “full-time until October or the completion of the SIR process, whichever is earlier”. The notices also asked respective school heads or managers to make arrangements to relieve them of their duties for the said period.  

‘Impacting studies’
However, for a school principal who has had to spare a majority of his senior teachers for BLO duty, putting in place an alternative arrangement hasn’t been easy. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the principal said, “Even some class teachers have been assigned BLO duty. So, who will teach then? Some teachers have been given two registers, and they have to take care of multiple classes.” 

But this comes with challenges too, the principal said. “A teacher might have another class. So, we have to merge some classes or send some students to the playground. But this will impact their studies and it will be difficult to complete the syllabus before the mid-term examinations in September.” 

Another school principal said, “We can’t leave the students alone. So during free periods, they are being engaged in the library or with sports. We have to alter timetables because the teachers will be away for a much longer time than they usually are for election or other duties.” 

‘Double the work’

A senior government school teacher, who has been engaged in BLO duty, said, “In my school, the principal has assigned my school duties to another teacher for the time being. But unfortunately, substitute teachers do not put in the same amount of effort because it is additional work for them, too.”

However, not all schools can afford to spare teachers exclusively for SIR duty. The problem was starker in schools from where more teachers have been deployed for BLO work. A teacher, who along with one more colleague from the school has been assigned SIR duty, said his principal has relieved him of his school duties completely. But in schools from where more teachers have been deployed as BLOs, they are trying to manage both the duties. 

Another teacher, who has been going to school in the morning and then heading out on SIR duty said, “There is pressure from both sides. I am going to school and then stepping out to go for door-to-door BLO work. There are no fixed hours as such, and we are working all day, and into the night.” 

Similarly, substitutes are taking care of the children at anganwadi centres. “I am fulfilling both my duties at the same time, though I’m managing some of it on my phone. My work starts early in the morning and continues till late at night,” said an anganwadi worker. 

While questions are being raised over the Education Department’s move to grade bilingual medium studying students into A and B based on their knowledge of English and Kannada, Dakshina Kannada district education department officials said grading is to know the language competency and not to distinguish among the students.

All the 896 government primary schools in Dakshina Kannada are teaching Bilingually (Kannada and English) from this 2026-27 academic year. Dakshina Kannada is among the few districts in the State where all government primary schools are teaching in bilingual medium. Of the 896 government primary schools, 220 schools have been teaching bilingually in the last five years.

From the start of the new academic year on June 1, all students from the Classes 1 to 5 have been involved in transitional activities for about a month. The activities, include story games, spoken language acts, role plays, done as a bridge course to bilingual medium of instruction. By the end of the month, teachers have to hold a test to evaluate students. Those having knowledge of English will be graded as A, while those with Kannada will be graded as B.

Discouraging Kannada

Questioning this gradation, All India Democratic Students Organisation, Dakshina Kannada District convenor, S.V. Vinaya Chandra, said instead of promoting mother tongue learning at the primary level, the government is doing the exact opposite by discouraging the choice of Kannada. He said the government is violating Supreme Court verdict, which mandates promoting mother tongue in primary education. Mr. Chandra said giving Kannada a secondary status in learning is akin to refusing to recognise students who write in Kannada.

Remedial teaching

Deputy Director of Public Instruction (Academics) Sadanand Poonja said gradation of students is nothing new, and has been done in the past too.

With evaluation by the end of this month, teachers will get to know the competency of students in English. “This is nothing to do with their academics.” Mr. Poonja said teachers will take up remedial coaching to students in Grade B to improve their English competency. The evaluation and remedial activities will continue during the academic year. There will be no evaluation for students in Class 1, he said.

Meanwhile, bilingual textbooks are yet to reach all students. The Students Achievement Tracking System, which tracks progress of students, still continues to recognise the Bilingual students as Kannada-medium students.