Delhi CM Rekha Gupta vows action on CAG report

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Friday that every child in the national capital deserves quality education and the government’s goal is not just to construct school buildings, but to establish a robust education system that contributes significantly to nation-building.

Gupta, on Friday, held an important discussion with the principals of Shalimar Bagh’s government schools and senior officials from the Education Department where she reviewed academic quality, infrastructure upgrades, digital facilities, and future requirements of the schools.

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Cabinet Minister Parvesh Verma was also present during the meeting, where ongoing development programmes, policies, and on-ground challenges in Shalimar Bagh’s schools were extensively discussed and feedback from principals was sought to refine strategies and ensure effective implementation.

The CM emphasized comprehensive reforms to enhance education quality and instructed officials to ensure upgrade existing basic facilities such as toilets, clean drinking water, proper lighting, and comfortable seating on priority, and where repair or expansion is required, an immediate action plan should be implemented.

She directed PWD’s Horticulture Department to ensure greenery and landscaping in school premises.

The CM highlighted the government’s push for digital education, announcing the establishment of thousands of smart classrooms, 125 digital libraries, and 100 language labs this year in Delhi’s government schools.

Stressing the vital role of teachers in nation-building, she announced regular training and exposure to modern pedagogical methods.

Gupta said meritorious, struggling, and specially-abled students should be identified and provided with extra guidance, resources, and support to ensure equal opportunity.

She stated that the newly-launched “75 CM Shri Schools” are a transformative initiative that will elevate government schools beyond just infrastructure to deliver education quality surpassing private institutions.

Criticizing the previous government, Gupta said, “Despite much propaganda about improving education, the reality on the ground was dismal. The much-celebrated school buildings were structurally weak—one built in 2018 deteriorated within just two years. This proves that their so-called education model was artificial and merely a facade.”

She said during the previous government’s tenure, serious irregularities have been found in the classroom construction prompting legal action based on the CAG report will soon be taken. “Those who enabled corruption through collusion will now face the law. The betrayal of public trust will be accounted for,” she added.

If they couldn’t provide basic educational infrastructure to students in the last 11 years, their education policy stands exposed, she said. She also shared that many schools still do not have full-time principals and are run on ad-hoc arrangements.

“For the first time under our government, we are ensuring recruitment to all vacant positions, appointing permanent principals, and deploying adequate security and sanitation staff in schools,” Gupta added.

She also raised concerns over the parallel education board set up by the previous government, questioning its necessity when a national board already exists.