Dr B R Ambedkar Schools of Specialised Excellence a success: Delhi CM

NEW DELHI: The establishment of Dr. B R Ambedkar Schools of Specialised Excellence to allow students of classes 9 to 12 to focus on their chosen fields of study has been a success with 37 such schools receiving around 92,000 applications for admission this year, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday.

Inaugurating a new branch of the school in Rohini Sector 18, Kejriwal said students of these institutions are prepared by focusing on special subject class 9 onwards. "There are 37 such schools with 4,400 seats in Delhi as of now and we received around 92,000 applications for admission this year. Not even schools like DPS (Delhi Public School) and Modern School get these many applications in a year," he said.

As the chief minister arrived at the school, several Delhi BJP leaders and workers staged a protest and showed black flags to him, alleging the AAP government "changed the name" of the existing school to B R Ambedkar School of Specialised Excellence and stopped admitting local children below class 9.

Referring to the demonstration, Kejriwal said, "Some people were protesting outside when I entered the school and I want to tell them that even their children will study in this school." "This is not a school of AAP and children of BJP, Congress and AAP people and those not associated with politics will study here together," he said.

Speaking about former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, arrested by the CBI and the ED in cases linked to Delhi's excise policy, Kejriwal said he has sent a message for school children asking them to focus on their studies. "A man with honest intentions is always tested by the God and Manish Sisodia will emerge victorious in this test.

Children have been telling me that they miss him and how he has been falsely framed. He has sent a message for the school children and asked them to focus on their studies," the chief minister said. According to the Delhi government, students at Dr. B R Ambedkar Schools of Specialised Excellence can focus on a specialised stream based on their interests and abilities from class 9.

Speaking at the inauguration of the school, Delhi Education Minister Atishi said children at Delhi government schools are getting the finest facilities and even clearing competitive exams like JEE for engineering admission. "Huge transformations have happened in Delhi's Education department in the last eight years and now, thousands of students from Delhi government schools clear competitive exams like JEE and make it to the finest colleges of the country," Atishi said.

BJP MLA from Rohini Vijender Gupta, who was part of the party's protest, alleged that the AAP administration “changed the name” of the government school that was constructed by the BJP in Sector 18 and stopped admitting local children below grade 9.

"A government school building was constructed by the BJP here, but the AAP government changed its name to B R Ambedkar School of Specialised Excellence. The school should be shifted somewhere else or a new building should be constructed for it. The original condition of the school should be restored so that children of local residents can get admission there,” Gupta said.