Last Updated: 28 Dec 2023
2022-23 Delhi budget: Boarding School for homeless children was proposed with Rs 10 crore by the Delhi government
Now alternative location has been finalised after some issues with original location, Govt is working on Building plans
"Till date, No government has paid attention to the children standing at the traffic lights that is because they are not vote banks. We will take care of them" - CM Arvind Kejriwal[1]
¶ Boarding School Details
"It is not possible to get quality education unless basic facilities like food and shelter are in place" - Best Education Minister Manish Sisodia[1:1]
- The Delhi government is establishing a boarding school specifically for homeless children, aiming to provide them with a safe haven and educational opportunities[1:2]
- The Delhi government's boarding school initiative represents a significant step towards addressing child homelessness
- The project involves collaboration between three government departments: Education, Social Welfare, and Women & Child Development[2]
- The children would be provided emotional and psychological support at the school
¶ Location & Plan[2:1]
New location: Government Co-ed Secondary School in Netaji Nagar
- The school will utilize the existing infrastructure of the Government Co-ed Secondary School in Netaji Nagar
- The Netaji Nagar school had only 200-odd children, so they have been shifted to the school with new building in RK Puram, which had 500 children and the capacity of 1,000 children
- Originally planned for Nanak Heri village, the school's location was shifted to Netaji Nagar due to resident protests
¶ Pilot Project[1:3]
Government has taken several measures to provide basic education to the homeless children, but the measures have only been partially successful
Goal: To see that if Homeless Street children are provided residential facilities, how will they be benefitted
Result: We may be able to prevent them from getting into begging by providing them residence
- A Pilot project in Malviya Nagar with the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and district authorities
- Identified the children using NGOs and observed how they reacted
¶ Homeless Street children[1:4]
- The 3 categories of street children are:
- Those who run away from their families and live alone on the street
- Street-working children who spend most of their time on the streets fending for themselves, but return home on a regular basis
- Children from street families who live on the streets with their families
- Concerning rise in child homelessness, particularly exacerbated by the pandemic's impact
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