Congress’s rural bastion has no room for science in schools

“K block and U block are the only options we have, but they are too far away. When I returned late because of practicals, my mother would get very worried. Now I am studying humanities here,” Krishna told Newsline.

“Nobody has done anything for education in the area. If this is the condition in the capital, what can we expect elsewhere?” a teacher said.
Vandana, 48, a resident of H block in Sultanpur Majra, has three daughters. She says she dreams of making at least one of them a doctor. “One of my daughters who is is now in Class XI fought with me to study science. The only option was to send her to Mangolpuri or Bawana.

But it is not safe for girls to travel alone all this way, so I have had to make her study the arts stream,” she said.

Rakesh Kumar, a Class XII student from F block whose father works as a sweeper with the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, said even commerce classes did not happen regularly. “Studying science is only a dream if you cannot afford to go to a private school,” he said. The area has 22 schools, five of them high schools.

Kishen, the sitting MLA, is now promising to start the first-ever science stream in the F block government school from the next academic session in April.

“This is not the sole responsibility of the MLA. But opening a science lab in a school requires an investment of at least Rs 1 crore. There is so much competition in science and the aptitude required is very high. Very few students here are ready to study science,” he told Newsline.

He said parents here do not have much faith in their children. “Science coaching would cost at least Rs 5,000 a month. Most people here think what is the point of investing so much in children’s education when there is a risk of them turning out bad.

“Sochte hain padhke kya hoga, dhobi ka kutta, na ghar ka na ghat ka,” he said.

AAP candidate Sandeep Kumar, who lost to Kishen in 2013 with a margin of around 1100, says “people are tired of the MLA because of this level of thinking”.

“How can a sitting MLA say this? He could have worked harder to ensure the best level of education and changed lives in the 20 years but he has done nothing,” Kumar said. “The condition of the existing schools is pathetic. In 20 years, I cannot think of a single work of development he has done in the area.”