Delhi CM Atishi inaugurates 131-room school at Sunder Nagri

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Thursday inaugurated a 131-room school at Sunder Nagri in northeast Delhi, which will accommodate 7,000 students in two shifts, officials said. "I am very happy to inaugurate this school. When we visited the schools in this area after our government took office in 2015, every classroom had 100-150 students, with some children sitting on the floor.

Even the best teachers struggled to provide quality education in such conditions," Atishi said at the event, according to a statement issued by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Sarvodaya school with 131 classrooms, seven laboratories, one library, two multi-purpose halls, and one conference room will operate in two shifts, offering all three streams – arts, commerce, and science, Atishi said.

The chief minister added that the students, around 7,000 in total, will come from Sunder Nagri, Nand Nagri, Mandoli, and Harsh Vihar, the statement said. The plot for the school was reclaimed from land mafias through the efforts of the Delhi government, she said, adding that its foundation was laid by Manish Sisodia in January 2023, and now a five-storey school stands on the site.

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Minister's statement on inauguration of new school

"The Delhi Development Authority originally allocated this land to the education department in 2003 to build a school. However, since the previous governments didn't show any interest in the education of ordinary children, the land eventually fell under the control of land mafias.

"However, after the AAP government led by Arvind Kejriwal came to power, we fought to reclaim the land and began constructing the school," Atishi said, as per the statement. The minister also said that if the people of Delhi want good schools for a bright future of their children, they must again choose a government that prioritises education, the statement added. The Assembly elections in Delhi are due early next year.