New Delhi: Residents of Rohini have raised concerns as a newly constructed Delhi govt school, inaugurated with fanfare in Nov last year, still remains shut even though the new academic session has begun.For many families, the school had raised hopes of better facilities and a shorter commute for their children. But today, those dreams have not been realised. Parents say that they are still forced to send their children to overcrowded schools several kilometres away, and in some cases, children have dropped out.A resident said that a contractor’s employee is currently looking after the premises, as no guard has been appointed. “There’s no one to give us a proper response when we ask about when the school will start running. We have no idea how long we’ll have to wait. Govt must act promptly,” he said. Meanwhile, a teacher wrote to the authorities last month, highlighting that although the school building is complete and an official ID has been created for the institution, students and staff are absent.The school, in Pocket C2 of Rohini’s Sector 27, was launched last Nov by then chief minister Atishi. “Children in this area have to travel 10-15km to Shahbad Daulatpur. With this school, we aim to provide quality education closer to home,” Atishi said at the inauguration. According to officials, the school has 121 classrooms, 10 laboratories, a central library and a multipurpose hall.The Rohini school is not the only one facing this fate. Similar complaints have emerged from other parts of Delhi. Newly inaugurated govt schools in Kirari and Sunder Nagri, opened in Jan and Nov, respectively, also remain shut, despite being fully constructed and furnished.The high court recently pulled up Delhi govt and its agencies for the delay in starting the Kirari school. The school was built to take in 3,500 students across two shifts. The Sunder Nagri school can enroll 7,000 students, but remains unused and behind locked gates.“There are at least three newly constructed schools that haven’t been started despite much-publicised inaugurations,” said education activist and lawyer Ashok Agarwal, who has alerted the education secretary about the school in Rohini. “The authorities also told the high court they would build three schools near Shiv Vihar metro station. Two years have passed, and there’s no sign of construction. Meanwhile, existing schools are bursting at the seams.“Agarwal said: “In Karawal Nagar, I saw 85 students crammed into one classroom. Across several govt schools in these areas, the average class size is 80-90. In one shocking case, a classroom had 118 students. Children are being taught in science labs, libraries and even under tin sheds. In Jafrabad, for instance, classes are being held wherever space is available — home science labs, libraries and side rooms. This is not just an infrastructure issue. It’s a denial of basic right to education.”Queries sent to Delhi govt remained unanswered. AAP blamed the current govt. Leader of opposition Atishi said that BJP was colluding with the private school lobby to deliberately stall the opening of newly constructed govt schools. She said BJP was blocking institutions built by an elected Delhi govt to offer free, high-quality education. “It is deeply unfortunate — but not surprising — that several newly-built govt schools remain unoperational.… It is political sabotage,” Atishi said.
