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Municipal Corporations are responsible for primary education in Delhi. The three
MCDs run more than 1700 primary schools across Delhi. However, MCD schools
suffer from poor learning outcomes leading to poor perception among parents and
declining enrolment over the years. MCD schools also face significant
infrastructural and human resource constraints, which is perplexing given that the
three MCDs are unable to utilize the funds allocated for education. It is evident that
significant improvement in the governance of MCD schools is required.
Declining Trend of Enrolment in MCD Schools
MCD enrolment has declined by more than 50,000 students in the course of two
years.
Year 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
Total Number of
Students
8,69,540 8,39,040 8,18,707
Overworked Teachers and Neglected Students
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009
mandates a Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) of 30:1 for primary schools. However, all
MCD schools have a high PTR between 37:1 and 42:1. This situation is further
exacerbated due to inequitable distribution of teachers across schools
Investing in Delhizens – Education For All
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Municipal
Corporation
Number of
Schools
Enrolment Teachers PTR
NDMC 734 330,313 8,276 40:1
SDMC 588
274,296
7,322 37:1
EDMC 387
214,098
5,129
42:1
Total 1701 818,707 20,727 40:1
Congress envisions a complete overhaul of education under MCDs. It
plans to introduce major institutional reforms by instituting
supervisory bodies to ensure quality education to the students, to train
the teachers and to encourage active participation of local
communities around the schools .
Institutional Reforms
1. Setting up of an ‘Empowered Group for Quality Education’ to monitor
Schools
After coming to power, the Congress, in each Corporation, will setup an
empowered group of persons consisting of experienced former principals, experts
from the field of education (India), experts having atleast 15 years of international
experience in the field of education (preferably Governmental experience),
representatives/ guardians of students, representatives of NGOs and
representatives from MCsD.
Function: The said group will be entrusted to advise & improve the quality of
education in MCD and primary schools in Delhi. The group will meet weekly to
constantly watch the functioning and performance of all schools imparting primary
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education in the city. It shall also be responsible to direct the Education Department
to fill in the vacacies of teachers and necessary staff in schools.
First meeting: The First meeting of the empowered group will be convened within
one week of the Congress Party attaining majority in the MCsD and the purpose of
the said meeting shall be to prepare a roadmap to bring back lakhs of children who
had quit education from MCD schools in last 10 years of the BJP rule.
Monthly Report: The empowered group will submit a monthly report to the
Mayor and Commissioner, MCD, who shall be responsible to implementing the
recommendations of the empowered group.
2. Partner-School Matching
Understanding the unique needs of each school, the MCD will strategically match
the private primary/ local schools/ learning centreas and those community-based
organizations having atleast 15 years’ experience in the field of education.
Those community-based organisation which volunteer to help the MCsD in
monitoring private/ unrecognised schools, will be requested to submit quarterly
reports directly to the empowered group for necessary corrections in the said
schools.
Through this exercise the MCsD will ensure that even the level of private primary
learning centres imparting elementary education is upto the mark and at par with
Navyug Schools of NDMC.
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Under this scheme, NGOs will be invited to impart primary education for children.
The standard of these schools will also be monitored by the empowered group,
along-with the MCD schools.
3. Delhi City Leadership Academy (DCLA)
DCLA institute will be setup using the unutilized land banks of the MCD. DCLA
will be the premier institute of the MCD for training of existing and new teachers/
principals, in order to enable them meet world standards of primary education.
DCLA will consist of master coaches -teachers and academicians having vast
experience in field of education, both in India and abroad.
The empowered group will oversee the selection process of master coaches.
In the first phase, DCLA will launch the ‘Aspiring Principals Program
(APP)’ a program that will use experiential learning methods to
develop the real-world skills necessary for effective school
leadership. The program will help aspiring leaders become the change agents
who can inspire teachers and foster educational equity.
Child-focused Learning
Most students in MCD schools come from the poorest and most marginalised
communities. It is thus important for schools to respond to their needs to ensure
that students are able to learn and at-risk groups do not drop out. The following
measures will be taken:
1. Pre-school classes will be provided at the community level to ensure that children
who join in Class I have pre-literacy and numeracy capabilities.
2. Bridge courses for out of school kids will be provided.
3. Efforts will be made to make learning inclusive for children with disabilities
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4. MCD schools only function till Class 5 whereupon students must transfer to Delhi
Government run schools. Many students drop out in this transition. Institutional
support will be provided to ensure seamless transfer from MCD-run school to
Delhi Government school.
5. Parental Support: Special workshops for the parents on social behaviour patterns,
gender sensitization, after-school support of the child etc
6. To encourage enrolment and prevent dropouts for girl children from BPL
families, a fix deposit of Rs 1000/- per child will be created on enrolment, which
could be en-cashed only after graduation from high school (given enrolment
numbers, this is likely to be too expensive unless funded externally)
Teachers
Teachers are the most important aspect of education with a well-trained and
motivated teacher pivotal to respond to the child’s individual learning requirements.
Conversely the absence of a good teacher can do little to promote satisfactory
learning outcomes in the child despite excellent classrooms and other infrastructural
inputs. It is thus unfortunate that an adversarial conception of the teacher-student
relationship has been built up among the public at large leading to a framework
which seeks to penalize the teacher instead of providing support and incentives for
better performance. Congress-run MCDs will provide a respectful and
supportive environment for its teachers to empower and enable them
to provide the best education to their students:
1. Vacancies: Around 6500 teacher vacancies will be filled to ensure compliance
with the RTE mandated PTR of 30:1. Moreover, distribution of teachers will be
equitable across schools.
2. Training: A review in consultation with the SCERT will be undertaken to
overhaul in-service training for MCD teachers.
3. Capacity Building and Support: Teacher Support Centers - a voluntary center
for teachers to access resources, share experiences and build support groups
with other teachers working in similar circumstances - will be set up in every
district.
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4. Timely disbursement of Salaries.
5. Recruitment rules: a committee of education experts will be constituted to
review recruitment rules and make amendments where necessary
Infrastructure
1. Small children in many schools have to sit on the cold floor during winter
months. Adequate desks and chairs will be purchased for every child.
2. Safety and security audit of every school will be done in consultation with
teachers and parents and requisite improvements will be undertaken forthwith.
3. Separate toilets for girls and boys will be built in all schools.
4. Pucca buildings for all schools will be ensured.
5. Purified drinking water will be made available in all schools
Teaching and Learning Material
1. Printing quality of books will be ensured
2. There will be timely disbursement of books and uniform
3. One workbook will be provided to all students
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Mid Day Meals (MDM)
1. Audit of all organisations providing mid-day meals will be undertaken.
2. Review of MDM will be done to ensure compliance with prescribed nutritional
standards
Community Participation
1. School Management Committee (SMC) will be strengthened to improve parental
participation and oversight of schools. Moreover, mechanisms for wider
community participation will be ensured in recognition of the legitimate stake of
the larger community in improving public schools.
2. Schools will host quarterly exhibitions and performances to enable
neighbourhood residents to visit and see student’s work.
3. Institutional tie-ups with reputed private schools, colleges and other educational
institutions to involve their teachers/ students to do voluntary teaching/ engaging
in different ways with MCD schools.
Sports
1. All schools will have dedicated PE teachers.
2. Linkages with various sports coaches and academies to conduct sports camps
on weekends for interested school students.
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Chaos and Lack of Accountability in Providing Health
Services in Delhi
Multiple Agencies: Multiple government agencies at different levels provide health
care in Delhi: the Central Government through the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare, the Government of NCT of Delhi (Directorate of Health Services and
Directorate of Family Welfare), and three local government bodies, through the
Delhi Municipal Corporations (MCD), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)
and the Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB). At present there is no coordination between
these agencies leading to patient harassment and overall degradation of public
health.
Overlapping Jurisdictions: All levels of Government (Central, State and
Municipal) operate health services at all levels leading to poor allocation of
resources and expertise.
Primary Health Centres (PHCs) or Dispensaries, the first line of defence in public
health are run by the MCD, Delhi Government and the Central Government. This
has led to a situation where despite adequate number of PHCs at the aggregate state
level, some areas are over-serviced while others woefully neglected. At the same
time, North MCD also operates six big hospitals at Rs 652 crores per year.
Making Delhi Healthier- Thrust on Primary Health
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Chaos and Lack of Accountability in Providing Health
Services in Delhi
Multiple Agencies: Multiple government agencies at different levels provide health
care in Delhi: the Central Government through the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare, the Government of NCT of Delhi (Directorate of Health Services and
Directorate of Family Welfare), and three local government bodies, through the
Delhi Municipal Corporations (MCD), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)
and the Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB). At present there is no coordination between
these agencies leading to patient harassment and overall degradation of public
health.
Overlapping Jurisdictions: All levels of Government (Central, State and
Municipal) operate health services at all levels leading to poor allocation of
resources and expertise.
Primary Health Centres (PHCs) or Dispensaries, the first line of defence in public
health are run by the MCD, Delhi Government and the Central Government. This
has led to a situation where despite adequate number of PHCs at the aggregate state
level, some areas are over-serviced while others woefully neglected. At the same
time, North MCD also operates six big hospitals at Rs 652 crores per year.
Making Delhi Healthier- Thrust on Primary Health
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Utterly inefficient and apathetic MCD
1. Shortage of stuff: There is a shortage 57 staff in hospitals that operate under
SDMC , 564 vacant positions in health department in EDMC and 36 vacancies
in NMCD.
2. Inability to spend allotted budget (source: MCDs):
3. Out of 250 Lakh budget for purchase of medicines and medical equipment in
Ayurvedic dispensaries in 2016-17, only Rs. 1,25,456 has been spent in
SDMC.
4. 10 Lakh was budgeted for purchase of medicines and medical equipment in
Homeopathic dispensaries in 2016-17, only Rs. 99847 has been spent in
SDMC.
5. No new equipment was purchased in last 5 years for dispensaries in SDMC.
6. No fund was given to dispensaries in last 5 years in SDMC.
7. In 2015-16, Rs. 785 lakhs was allocated for various hospitals under Ayush in
NMCD; however only Rs. 359.78 lakhs was utilized. In 2016-17, Rs.955
Lakhs were allocated and 301.48 lakhs were utilized, remaining budget
lapsed.
8. Inablity to check vector borne diseases: The manifold rise in the number of
people affected by degue and chickungunia in last two years is alarming and
indicative of complete lack of political will and inability to coordinate
between multiple agencies. Number of Chikungunya increased from 8 in 2014
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to 11,192 in 2016; Dengue: from 995 in 2014 to 3778 in 2016 (Source: Dept
of National Vector Borne Disease Control Program, MoHFW, GOI)
Delhi Congress’ 10 point Action Plan for MCD:
“Health for All”: Congress-run MCD will provide primary health
services to the entire population of Delhi free of charge, in a safe,
respectful and dignified manner.
1. Augmentation and Upgradation of Primary Health Clinics (PHCs)
i) All hospitals run by the MCD will be transferred to the Delhi Government
thereby saving the MCD Rs 652 crores every year. At the same time, the
MCD is willing to take ownership of all PHCs currently being operated
by the state and central governments
ii) All health Centres of the MCD will be upgraded to meet the Primary
Urban Health Centre (PUHC) norms of Delhi Government, framed in
2010. All MCD health centre lacking basic laboratory, x-ray, test facilities
or curative, preventive and promotive services, will be augemented within
three months of Congress forming Government in MCsD.
iii) PHCs will be mapped and reorganised to ensure equitable distribution and
coverage of the entire population of Delhi.
iv) While referral services to secondary and tertiary health providers are
outside the ambit of the MCD, the Congress will map its PHCS along
these facilities and attempt to set-up a mechanism in coordination with
state and central governments
v) PHC operating hours will be expanded as per PHC norms and all PHCs
will be adequately staffed by qualified physicians, nurses, health workers
and technicians.
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vi) PHCs will stock all essential medicines appropriate for primary health
care and will provide all basic diagnostic tests.
vii) Adequate ANMs and ASHA workers will be deployed in Maternal and
Child Welfare (MNCW) centres with slums and resettlement colonies
receiving priority
viii) School Health Clinics will be scaled up to ensure proper school health
check-ups, follow-up and treatment
2. Prevention and Control of Vector Borne Diseases such as Dengue and
Malaria
Dengue and Malaria have reached epidemic proportions in Delhi. Despite awareness
that vector borne diseases have seasonal peaks (post monsoon in August through
October), last two years saw woeful lack of preparedness and effective response on
the part of the BJP-run MCDs and AAP’s Delhi Government.
There is significant overlap between sanitation and primary health care systems to
prevent incidence of vector borne diseases. Congress has presented a comprehensive
roadmap for sanitation in Delhi
i) The Congress Party will prepare and publish a comprehensive epidemic
control, prevention and response plan for vector borne diseases with
specific focus on JJs, resettlement colonies and other vulnerable
communities
ii) Ensure testing and treatment of Dengue/Malaria etc cases at all PHCs
iii) Setting up of a Special Task Force to fight mosquito menace in Delhi. 27
Task Forces will be setup in groups of 10 wards and every such task force
will be headed by the Deputy Commissioner (MCD) of that area. The task
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force will also have representatives from RWAs, Market Associations,
NGOs etc.
3. Affordable Medicines Through Fair Price Pharmacies: Large numbers of
patients continue going to private OPD leading to significant out of pocket
expenses for them.
i) The MCD will open fair price pharmacies which will stock generic
medicines of good quality and fair price in all MCD hospitals and
credible hospitals run by NGOs/Institutions/Co-operative Societies.
ii) The Congress Party in MCD will establish flagship stores on the
platform of the current Janaushadhi Scheme launched by the
Government of India in 2008.
4. Setting up PHCs in all Metro stations to ensure vicinity based public access
and immediate health service to the passengers in case of emergencies.
5. “Clinics on wheels” services will be augmented and upgraded, and
“Diagnostic Centres on Wheels”, will be introduced targeted to provide
basic diagonosis facilities and quality Public health care services to Delizens
residing in slums, unauthorised colonies and to homeless people.
6. Promotion of health: To work with, and engage all medical practitioners,
Healthcare agencies, and communities to understand and improve health
through community-based interventions and public participation. Special
camps for Yoga, alternative medicine and naturopathy will be held regularly
in MCD parks
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7. Strengthening the delivery mechanism by doubling the number of our
facilities in next 3 years, and by adding team of doctors, nurses, attendants
etc…so that each of these facility is operating to optimum and 24X7
8. Digital platform will be created for integration of the entire public healthcare
delivery infrastructure to assess, monitor and reach in fastest mode possible
and address the challenges at hand.
9. Special Measures for Children, Senior Citizens and Women
i) After Congress Party forms Government in MCsD, Eight lac plus students
studying in MCD schools will be given free health insurance under group
insurance schemes. The said scheme will also be extended to those institutes
which partner with MCsD under the ‘Partner School-Matching Programme’.
ii) Setting up of special Day Care Centres for the elderly with provision of
multiple services like physical fitness regimes, recreation etc
iii) Day and night crèches offering complete childcare and must be accessible to
all especially to the mothers engaged in informal and unorganised sectors.
iv) Special healthcare facilities for women: to be completely monitored,
managed and with women doctors and support staff. The focus of these
healthcare facilities would be on ailments and specific healthcare
requirements of the women. Marriage counselling for young brides to help
them understand family planning, safeguarding themselves from sexually
transmitted diseases.
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10. Community Monitoring and Grievance Redress
Setting up of ‘Health Watch Group’ on Ward Level
i) Health Watch Groups (HWG) will work as eyes and ears of the
Municipal Corporation and will be in constant touch with the Municipal
Councillor & Deputy Commissioner of the area.
ii) It will be mandatory for the Municipal Councillor and Deputy
Commissioner to hold a fortnightly meeting with the said group and
dispose of the concerns raised by the group in writing within 7 days of
the meeting.
iii) In addition to the general public, the said group will be enstasked to
report health concerns of their respective areas to higher authorities in
the Corporation for organised planning and action on such issues.
iv) The members of the said group will also be responsible for facilitating
general counselling and health check-ups of kids by MCsD.
v) The said group will contain members of various RWAs, Gram
Panchayats, market/ trader’s association and concerned MCD health
officials of the areas.
vi) People’s participation and monitoring of PHCs will be ensured through
Ward Committees.
vii) Grievance-redress mechanism will be set up for every ward to ensure
independent oversight of all PHCs.