Rickety old desks covered in layers of graffiti lie abandoned in the courtyard while shiny new ones wait to replace them. Dimly lit classrooms with crumbling ceilings now boast ample light and fresh interiors.
The Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya on Rouse Avenue, which has been under renovation for over a year, is almost ready to welcome students into a space that encourages learning. The school has been revamped as part of the government’s endeavour to improve infrastructure and quality of education in the Capital.
Sisodia tweets
Education Minister Manish Sisodia and his advisor Atishi Marlena took to Twitter saying, “Anyone who claims that buildings of private schools are better than Delhi government schools should visit Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, Rouse Avenue”.
A visit on Monday made the revamp evident with the school looking nothing like most government schools.
Change for the better
Vice-principal Arvind Kumar Sharma said that for almost 50 years, the reputed government school had not undergone much renovation, but the government’s positive attitude towards education had brought about a change.
Students, meanwhile, were excited to be back after the winter break and were eager to show off the changes.
Students of Class XI, who are awaiting their examination result, wished that the change had happened earlier. They pointed to the ceiling enthusiastically, which they said was almost crumbling earlier.
Now, even the corridors have been done up with bright tiles, they noted.
Looking ahead
With the nursery admissions on, Anjali Devi, who had come to see the school after hearing about the revamp, said that if all government schools could look like SBV, Rouse Avenue, parents would not spend so much money on private schools. “Once the school looks nice, both teachers and students will be encouraged to learn and teach better. It may be a distant dream for all government schools to change, but this is a good step.”
