During his visit to a Delhi government school on Friday with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said he would develop a model school in Chennai on the lines of Delhi.
He also invited Mr. Kejriwal in advance to come see the school once it is set up.
Mr. Stalin visited Rajkiya Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya and was taken on a tour of the modern facilities, including a swimming pool within the premises. He also attended a ‘Happiness class’ and ‘Deshbhakti class’ along with students to experience first-hand the new curricula introduced in all Delhi government schools.
During his tour, Mr. Stalin met a team of students who were a part of the ‘Business Blaster’ programme. The students shared with him how they had used the seed money of ₹2,000 each, provided by the government to build an entrepreneurial project, to earn a profit of ₹1.50 lakh and provide employment to 25 local residents as well. ‘Business Blasters’ is part of the government’s Entrepreneurship Mindset curriculum for nearly 4 lakh students of Classes 11 & 12.
Mr. Kejriwal told his counterpart that more than 500 students studying in Delhi government schools qualify for JEE Mains every year and that this year, about 3.5 lakh children in the city have switched from private to government schools. The government teachers are also being trained in reputed institutions like Cambridge and IIM, Mr. Stalin was informed.
The Delhi CM said that only education can help build a better society and an empowered nation, adding that Mr. Stalin and he could work together to bring about an education revolution.
“The Delhi government would love to share their experiences with the Tamil Nadu government and will learn from their work too. This country can only progress when we learn from each other’s ideas. All states need to work together to help the country walk faster towards development,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, while screening a film on the progress made by Delhi in education, said that earlier, students in government schools considered themselves inferior to the students in private schools but the recent improvements in government schools have increased their morale.
After the school visit, Mr. Stalin was taken on a tour of the Mohalla Clinics set up by the Aam Aadmi Party government.
