NEW DELHI: Marking the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, Delhi government on Thursday named its 30 Schools of Specialised Excellence after him.
Addressing students at an event that was streamed live from Khichripur School of Specialised Excellence, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said in the future, the institutes will produce doctors, engineers and scientists, just as Dr Ambedkar had envisioned.
“Babasaheb envisioned an India where every child gets excellent education so the country can progress. We are fulfilling his vision in Delhi. Indians got two contrasting education systems after Independence — private schools for the rich and government schools for the poor. Government schools were deliberately ruined for 75 years. With the support of the people, we transformed Delhi’s government schools in just five years,” said Kejriwal.
He added that other leaders have also started talking about the schools in Delhi. “Parties are competing to call their schools better. I welcome leaders from the Opposition to come and find shortcomings in our schools. We won’t criticise them, but will improve our schools. The country’s political narrative is shifting towards health and education,” said the CM.
“We always celebrate Babasaheb’s jayanti with joy and enthusiasm, but today, we have gone a notch ahead. The most spectacular government schools in Delhi are being named after him. There can’t be a better way to commemorate his legacy,” Kejriwal said.
The CM recalled Dr Ambedkar’s struggles and called him the “greatest sapoot of the soil”.
“The school he went to made him sit separately outside the class. He wasn’t allowed to drink water from the vessel unless a peon poured it from a distance. The man who faced these sufferings didn’t just go abroad, he got PhDs from London School of Economics and Columbia University,” he added.
Kejriwal said he didn’t expect that the Delhi government could change the system “so quickly”. “We thought it would take much longer because leaders couldn’t do it in 75 years. Teachers, parents, principals and officers supported our cause to the best of their ability and everyone can see the change. Today, many of our MLAs and lawyers send their children to government schools. This year, 3.75 lakh children shifted from private to government schools,” he said.
Sisodia said, “We are dedicating the country’s most prestigious government schools to Babasaheb and his thoughts and philosophy. The CM believes children from all sections of society should get access to quality education.”
