NEW DELHI: On Thursday, the Delhi High Court requested the city government’s position on a complaint that claimed several state-run schools in the northeastern portion of the city were not providing “full-time” education. A notice on public interest litigation by Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Social Jurist was sent to the Delhi government by a bench consisting of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad. The NGO claimed that these circumstances violated the Constitution’s and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act’s guarantees of the fundamental right to education.
Santosh Kumar Tripathi, a lawyer for the Delhi government, claimed that following COVID-19, “everyone has rushed to government schools” and that the government is aware of the infrastructural problems and other problems in the area due to its “increased population.” The government is aware of the land availability and infrastructure in those locations. Everyone has flocked to government schools since Covid, he claimed. Attorney Ashok Agarwal appeared on behalf of the petitioner and claimed that from April 2022, no action had been taken by the government to address the issue. “Some schools have two-hour classes, while others contact students on alternating days. I’ve written to them several times, but no answer or action has been taken,” he claimed.
