HC asks Delhi govt to map schools offering science, commerce

The Delhi High Court today asked the AAP government to do mapping of its schools indicating the availability of science and commerce streams after a petition alleged an "alarmingly uneven distribution" of such schools.
A bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and C Hari Shankar asked the government to also inform it about the schools where science and commerce streams are not available.
The court said the government shall place the map of government and government-aided schools in the national capital indicating availability and non-availability of these two streams, and listed the matter for hearing on February 26 next year.

The court asked the authorities, including the AAP government and the CBSE, to file their response to the petition which alleged an "alarmingly uneven distribution" of science and commerce streams in the government schools here.
The plea claimed that there are 'shadow pockets' in different regions of Delhi where schools do not offer science and commerce streams at all.
During the hearing, the Delhi government standing counsel, Ramesh Singh, submitted that not a single complaint has been received from any student or parent that they were not getting admission in a school within the area of three km.

The plea, filed by Yusuf Naqi through his counsel G M Akhtar, has alleged issues of "non-uniformity and 'cherry- picking' practice" of the Delhi government in offering science and commerce streams to students at the intermediate level in government schools.

It said the allocation of science and commerce streams have been done in an uneven manner which cannot be justified, thus causing grave injustice and prejudice to the pupils here.
"There are a total of 41 government schools in central Delhi, wherein only 2 schools offer science stream throughout the entire district, whereas in north east district of Delhi, there are as many as 18 schools out of total 38 which offer science stream at intermediate level," the plea has said.
It has alleged that since only two government schools in central Delhi have the science stream in their curriculum, the willing students of this area are required to travel to other districts of the National Capital Territory.

"Though there are government educational institutions offering science and commerce streams at intermediate level, the distribution of such schools offering science and commerce streams is alarmingly uneven.
"It is evident from the government records that there are 'shadow pockets' in different regions of Delhi that do not offer science and commerce streams at all, in their academic curriculum," the plea has claimed.