Thirty Delhi government schools will be affiliated to the Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE) in the academic session 2021-22, the Delhi government said Tuesday.
This will include 20 Schools of Specialised Excellence (SoSE) which will be launched in the city by August 15, for students of Class 9 to 12 interested in various subjects.
These will be the first schools to be affiliated under the new board.
The decision was taken in a general body meeting of the SoSE and the DBSE presided over by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
“The 30 schools to be affiliated include 20 SoSEs and 10 general schools. While the SoSEs will be from Class 9 to 12 in specialised domain, the general schools are those from nursery to Class 8,” sources said.
In a statement, the Delhi government said, “The General body of SoSE approved the launch of twenty SoSEs by August 15, 2021 in the first phase. These schools will cater to students in grades 9 to 12, who have special aptitude and interest in specific domains of study such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Humanities, Performing and Visual Arts, and High-end 21st Century Skills”.
“Of these 20 SoSEs in the first phase, eight schools would specialise in STEM, five schools in Humanities, and High-end 21st Century Skills, and two schools will specialise in Performing and Visual Arts… In the second year, a total of about 100 Schools of Specialised Excellence will be formed with all four domains in every educational zone in Delhi, so that children of all parts of Delhi can access specialised schools in their neighbourhoods,” it said.
In the first year, admissions will be offered at the 9th grade level in SoSEs in Humanities, Performing and Visual Arts, and High-end 21st Century Skills, whereas, in the STEM schools, admissions will be offered at the 9th and 11th grade levels, the Delhi government said.
Those seeking admission in the SoSEs will have to take an aptitude test.
The admission process will be announced, the government said.
Speaking about the decision, Sisodia said students at the SoSEs will receive “excellent learning opportunities in the areas of their interest” which will “enable them to join some of the best universities and institutions in the country and abroad”.
“The Delhi Government is committed to providing a world-class education to the children of Delhi. In the last 5 years, we have worked to improve the basics of the education system in Delhi. We are not stopping at this, we now aspire for the best-in-the-world. Our vision is to create Government schools in Delhi that would be at par with the international schools in the coming years,” said Sisodia.
“In order to create progressive curriculum and assessment structures for Delhi schools, the DBSE is partnering with renowned research and assessment organisation Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) which is credited with designing the globally recognised Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA),” he said.
The meeting Tuesday was attended by Principal Secretary (Education) H. Rajesh Prasad, Director (Education) Udit Prakash Rai, Chairperson DCPCR Anurag Kundu, Director (Women and Child Development) Rashmi Singh, Education Advisor Shailendra Sharma, among others.