High Court seeks govt stand on plea for school buses in Northeast Delhi

New Delhi, November 20

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the government’s stand on a plea to provide around 360 buses to enable students studying in several state-run schools in the Northeast district to attend schools in other districts.

The plea by NGO Social Jurist is part of its petition alleging that some state-run schools in the Northeast district were not imparting “full-time” education as these function either for only two hours a day or on alternate days.

A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan issued a notice on the plea and granted time to the Delhi Government counsel to seek instructions.

The bench, also comprising Justice Mini Pushkarna, observed that the petitioner was only seeking 367 buses to send children to other schools while the school building in their own district was still under construction.

“Children must go to school. Get instructions. Get it done,” the bench told the state government lawyer, who said such an arrangement “was necessary”.

Advocate Ashok Agarwal, appearing for the petitioner, said the teacher-student ratio in schools in the Northeast district was very high at present, affecting education. Therefore, the children must be enabled to attend other schools.

The lawyer said there are as many as 45 to 190 students in each class in schools in the Northeast district against the norm of 40 students.

“The petitioner is seeking interim directions from this Hon’ble Court against the respondent government to forthwith provide Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses to as many as 31,251 students of 14 schools as mentioned in the proposal of requirement of DTC buses for shifting of students of district North-I to other districts for smooth and regular education of students as per RTE (Right to Education) norms pending construction of new schools buildings in the area,” the plea said.

The petition added that students of some Delhi government schools in the Northeast district, including at Khajuri, Sabhapur, Tukbirpur, Sonia Vihar, Karawal Nagar, etc., are following a pattern of teaching mechanism where schools are either imparting only two hours of daily education or teaching on alternate days.

The matter will be heard next by the high court on November 28. — PTI 

45-190 students in each class

• The petition by NGO Social Jurist said there were as many as 45 to 190 students in each class in schools in the Northeast district against the norm of 40 students
• “We are seeking interim directions from the court to the government to provide DTC buses to as many as 31,251 students of 14 schools for their shifting to other districts,” the plea said
• The PIL added that students of some Delhi government schools in the Northeast district, including at Khajuri, Sabhapur, Tukbirpur, Sonia Vihar, Karawal Nagar, etc., were being taught for only two hours daily or on alternate days.