Students of South Delhi Municipal Corporation Primary School, near Okhla Water Tank celebrated India’s Independence Day with great fervour and enthusiasm.
To mark the occasion, a cultural programme was arranged at the school premises. Mr. Ram Pal, Councillor of Said-Ul-Ajab, South Delhi, who was present as the chief guest, praised the spectacular initiatives by the little children and motivated them to be contributing citizens of our country. Mrs. Jaswant Kaur, Executive Director, Deepalaya also graced the occasion.
The school premises had a festive look on the day as children wore tri-colour bands and badges. The day began with hoisting of the national flag, followed by the national anthem.
Children from carious classes sang some patriotic songs like Hind desh ke niwasi, Nanha Munha Raahi hoon, and Saare Jahan Se Accha under the guidance of Mr. Himanshu Anand, music teacher at Deepalaya. A group of students also presented a dance medley on “Choti si aasha” and other songs. Sonam, a student from Class five, spoke about the concept of “Unity in Diversity” and how it adds glory to the nation. Towards the end, prizes were distributed to the students from 1st to 5th standard who excelled in academics during the last year.
The school is being run jointly with the government teachers by Deepalaya, the largest operational NGO in Delhi-NCR, under the aegis of School Quality Enhancement Programme (SQEP) of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
About SDMC Primary School
Considering the poor quality of education in the governments schools, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) launched the school quality enhancement programme (SQEP) where the SDMC identifies and partners with non-profit organizations with proven track record of working in the education. As a part of the project, Deepalaya NGO has collaborated with SDMC for running their SDMC Primary School located near Okhla Water Sewage Treatment plant. The idea is to improve the quality of education, devise innovative curriculum, increase the enrollment and improve learning levels. The students enrolled in the school come mostly from economically weaker sections and nearby slums.
Over the last one year, the project has shown tremendous improvement in terms of student attendance and retention after Deepalaya stepped in. The learning levels of children have improved significantly. Students and parents are now taking keen interest in the school, its activities, etc. The school strives to act as a demonstration model for the government, and offers the following facilities:
• Delivery of curriculum in English medium
• Education through smart boards
• Extra-curricular activities
• Value education
• Quarterly health camps and monthly nutrition camps with the mothers
• Remedial classes after school hours
• Overall development of children
About Deepalaya
Deepalaya is an ISO 9001:2008 certified non-government organization that believes in enabling self reliance and is committed to working on issues affecting the urban and rural poor, with a special focus on women and children.
The NGO was started on July 16th 1979 by seven founding members, and for more than three decades, has been contributing to the crusade against illiteracy. Over the years, Deepalaya has established several projects in the areas of Education (Formal/Non-Formal/Remedial), Women Empowerment (reproductive health, SHG, Micro-finance), Institutional care, Community health, Vocational training, etc. These projects are operational in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Telengana, and Maharashtra.
