30 schools to be affiliated to Delhi state board from 2021-22: Sisodia

Thirty government schools will be affiliated to the newly formed Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE) from the 2021-22 academic session, and of these institutions 20 will be the Schools of Specialised Excellence (SOSE), deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on Tuesday.

Admissions to classes 9 and 11 of these special schools will begin by August 15 as a part of the first phase, he said.

“The Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE) will affiliate 30 Delhi government schools in the session 2021-22. We will roll out this year with 20 Schools of Specialised Excellence and 10 general schools. The 20 SOSE spread across Delhi will be launched by August 15,” Sisodia said.

The decision was taken during the second general body meeting of SOSE and DBSE officials presided by Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio. Following the meeting, the government also announced that the department was partnering with global institutes to hold consultations on the board.

“Our vision is to create govsisodia

NEW DELHI:

MANISH SISODIA,

deputy CM

ernment schools in Delhi that would be at par with the international schools in the coming years. In order to create progressive curriculum and assessment structures for Delhi schools, the Delhi Board of School Education is partnering with the 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),” Sisodia said.

The Delhi Cabinet on March 22 approved setting up 100 schools of specialised excellence across the city for students of classes 9 to 12. These schools will focus on four domains — science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), humanities, performing and visual arts and ‘highend 21st century skills’.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the government said admissions for classes 9 and 11 in STEM schools and Class 9 in the other three SOSE domains will begin shortly. “Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) will provide technical and managerial support to DBSE and SOSE respectively,” the statement said.

Of these 20 SOSES planned in the first phase, eight schools will specialise in STEM, five schools each will specialise in humanities and skills, and two schools will be specialising in performing and visual arts.

further said in the next academic session, a total of about 100 Schools of Specialised Excellence will be formed -with all four domains available in every educational zone of Delhi -- so that children in all parts of Delhi can access specialised schools in their neighbourhoods. All of these schools will be affiliated to DBSE.

Detailing the modalities, the deputy chief minister said the students at SOSES will receive excellent learning opportunities in the area of their interest that will enable them to join some of the best universities and institutions in the country and abroad.

“It is important to identify and provide specialised education to students who have a specific aptitude and deep interest. In the first year, admissions will be offered in Class 9 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. Students seeking admission in SOSES will have to take an aptitude test. The schedule of admission will be announced later,” he said.

Currently, there are about 1,000 government and 1,700 private schools in Delhi, nearly all of which are affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). All government schools and majority of the private schools are affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), but a few private schools are also associated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE).

In July last year, the Delhi government constituted two committees to prepare the scheme and framework for the formation of the state education board and for curriculum reforms.

Following the Cabinet approval on March 6, the society for the Board was registered on March 19.

Announcing the cabinet approval, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the present education system focuses only on learning by rote that needs to be changed. He added that highend methods will be used to teach students of schools affiliated to the new education board.

The chief minister said that all schools in the national capital will not be brought under the new education board in one go and private schools will have an option to choose from.

Our vision is to create government schools in Delhi that would be at par with the international schools in the coming years.