In Delhi, 92 schools identified for conversion to co-ed

Last month, The Indian Express reported that the department had begun a process of mapping capacities of its 1,100-odd schools to identify those feasible for conversion to co-educational schools.

As of now, approximately 178 of these schools are co-educational while the rest operate as double-shift schools — morning shift as girls’ schools and the afternoon shift as boys’ schools.

According to the department, after construction of new classrooms, these 92 school buildings are estimated to have 40 or less students per classroom.

A circular issued by the joint director (Land and Estate) said “8,000 additional equivalent classrooms have been constructed in the first phase and construction of another 13,000 is underway”.

This, the circular said, will “rationalise student-classroom ratio (SCR)” after which many double-shift schools can be converted to single shift. At present, 92 out of 285 school buildings have been identified “where SCR would be less than or equal to 40 after construction of additional equivalent classrooms under Priority-II”, it read.

An education department official had told The Indian Express that the aim is to transition a portion of these schools into co-ed single-shift schools by April, in time for the next academic session, and the rest by July, in time for when the children return from their summer vacation.

For now, deputy directors of education have been asked to “comment on the feasibility of the conversion” and send proposals for conversion of other schools.