Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Thursday claimed that government schools in the City were now being preferred by parents because of the hard work and commitment shown by their teachers.
Ms. Dikshit, who presented the Indira Awards-2009 to the best schools, best teachers and best students including special children at a function organised at St. Xavier’s School on Raj Niwas Marg here on the occasion of the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, said government schools in Delhi have been imparting quality education to children to make them responsible citizens of the country. She claimed that they have outshone the public schools with regard to results and overall development of students.
Paying tributes to Ms. Gandhi, whom she described as a dynamic and great leader, Ms. Dikshit said the former Prime Minister was instrumental in inspiring a large number of women to come forward and take up various challenges.
The Chief Minister said her government had left no stone unturned in providing necessary infrastructure in schools. The schools were now being spruced up under the “Roopantar’’ scheme, she said, adding that the project is expected to be completed in a year’s time.
For imparting education to girls, Ms. Dikshit said the Delhi Government had taken a bold initiative through the “Laadli” scheme that apart from checking female foeticide also intends to assist in the education of girls through time-bound scholarships.
As for the preparations for the Commonwealth Games 2010, the Chief Minister called upon all the students and teachers to render their cooperation in making the sporting event a memorable one. She said there was a need to imbibe civic sense among students and citizens to present Delhi at its best.
Delhi Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said it was through immaculate planning and implementation that the face of education had changed in Delhi. He said while the pass percentage of both Class X and Class XII had improved significantly, there has been a decline in the dropout rates.
The Best School Chief Minister Trophy was presented to Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Ghitorni. The award also carried a cash component of Rs.1 lakh. Besides, 13 district-level best schools were presented Education Minister Trophy with a cash prize of Rs.50,000 each and 28 zonal-level best schools were presented a trophy along with cash prize of Rs.21,000 each.
