These Delhi govt school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked for them — and what didn’t

Pointing to the recently built classrooms and different infrastructure upgrades connected the premises, Vijay says, “When I was successful Class XII, my juniors studied nether tin-roof sheds due to the fact that the aged gathering was being reconstructed.”

Vijay lasting successful his aged classroom. He graduated successful chemic engineering from IIT-Delhi successful 2022.

In his aged schoolroom connected the archetypal floor, much pleasant surprises await. “The desks are the same, but the breached windows and fans person been fixed. The committee utilized to beryllium achromatic erstwhile I was here. It’s greenish now,” helium says, adding that helium moved to the adjacent Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya (RPVV), besides a Delhi government-run schoolhouse successful Paschim Vihar, aft Class IX and studied determination till Class XII.

Vijay was among 4,953 students from Delhi authorities schools who enrolled for scholarships successful 2018 to articulation IIT-JEE coaching centres nether the Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana. Under the scheme, launched successful 2017, assistance up to Rs 40,000, on with a Rs 2,500 monthly stipend, is provided to students whose household income is beneath Rs 6 lakh a year. The students are past enrolled successful empanelled coaching institutes for competitory exams specified arsenic NEET, JEE-Advanced and CAT. According to an authoritative statement, successful 2018-19, 35 of 107 students enrolled nether the strategy cracked JEE-Advanced and NEET.

In the run-up to the Delhi Assembly polls, it is schemes similar these and the wide translation of authorities schools to bring them astatine par with backstage institutes that AAP has pitched arsenic its large achievements.

Vijay with his Social Science teacher Saabir Hussain astatine Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya (RPVV), besides a Delhi government-run schoolhouse wherever helium studied from Class 9 to 12.

Under erstwhile Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who besides held the acquisition portfolio, the authorities introduced respective cardinal initiatives similar the Happiness Curriculum “to beforehand affectional well-being”, the Deshbhakti Curriculum “to instill civic values” and the Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum “to foster concern acumen”. It besides introduced the Schools of Specialised Excellence (SOSE), which provided focused acquisition successful STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), humanities, and arts.

Since 2015, the AAP authorities has allocated astir 25% of its yearly budget towards acquisition reforms. In 2024-25, retired of the Rs 76,000 crore, a fund of Rs 16,396 crore was projected for the acquisition sector. However, rivals Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress person criticised the AAP authorities for “not gathering caller schools, lone caller classrooms”.
Despite important advancement successful infrastructure and world outcomes, authorities schools inactive conflict with shortcomings successful areas similar extracurricular activities — debates and sports — competitory exam mentation for higher acquisition and cleanliness.

This was pointed retired by students similar Vijay.

K M Sandhya, 20, a second-year pupil astatine Maulana Azad Medical College, transferred to the Delhi government’s Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya (SKV) successful Yamuna Vihar from a backstage schoolhouse aft Class VIII.

For him, the biggest spread was his conflict to pass successful English. “When I entered IIT-Delhi, I was hesitant to inquire questions successful English. No 1 that I knew astatine a authorities schoolhouse spoke English. I beryllium to a humble inheritance — my begetter is simply a tailor and my parent is simply a homemaker. So backstage schooling, wherever English is commonly spoken, was ne'er an option.”

At the RPVV too, the program past did not spot a immense value connected connection skills. He says with immoderate self-discipline, backstage coaching and an unwavering determination to succeed, helium overcame the issues helium faced portion communicating successful English by watching English bid connected OTT platforms.

Today, the RPVV successful Paschim Vihar is simply a School of Specialised Excellence (SOSE), whose caller gathering was inaugurated past year. As Vijay steps into the SOSE campus, helium spots his aged Social Science teacher, Saabir Husain, 57, who has been teaching astatine the schoolhouse since 2003.

Deepanshu, 20, different pupil astatine Maulana Azad Medical College, was educated wholly successful Delhi authorities schools. He secured a NEET fertile of 514 without backstage coaching.

Smiling warmly arsenic Vijay touches his feet, Husain says, “Students similar Vijay are impervious of RPVVs producing achievers. Though we inactive bash not cognize the world result of the SOSE batches, we volition find retired however these students performed academically this twelvemonth (the archetypal batch volition walk retired successful 2025).”

Vijay chimes in, “I could not spend backstage schooling, but RPVV gave maine the instauration I needed. However, competitory exam mentation wasn’t emphasised capable by the school. I had to trust connected abstracted coaching classes to wide JEE.”

Husain adds, “The infrastructure is great, but the SOSE program has been a small confusing. Teachers haven’t been told decently what outcomes are expected from the students. While initiatives similar the Happiness and Deshbhakti Curriculum are bully steps, they sometimes divert students from the halfway syllabus.”

Students similar Vijay besides thought that sports were not prioritised successful authorities schools. He loved playing kho kho but determination was nary due grooming oregon due coaches, helium says.

Vijay besides thinks much accordant parent-teacher engagement could amended the acquisition system. “Parent-teacher meetings seldom happened — possibly erstwhile successful six months oregon a year. Regular meetings are important. How other volition parents cognize however their children are doing?” helium says.

Across the city, different “success stories” from Delhi authorities schools measurement successful connected what worked and what didn’t enactment for them.

K M Sandhya, 20, a second-year pupil astatine Delhi’s Maulana Azad Medical College, recalls her archetypal apprehensions astir joining a authorities school. She transferred to the Delhi government’s Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya (SKV) successful Yamuna Vihar from a backstage schoolhouse successful the country aft Class VIII.

Sandhya lives successful Northeast Delhi’s Maujpur, which is simply a premix of unauthorised colonies and jhuggi jhopdi (JJ) clusters; her begetter is simply a contractual worker successful the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s House Tax Department and her parent is simply a housewife.

“Before I joined the authorities school, I had a precise antithetic content of them. However, my schoolhouse was a bully one. The teachers and the infrastructure were decent, with bully classrooms and desks,” Sandhya says.

She passed retired of schoolhouse successful 2022, having scored 98.2% successful her Class X committee exams and 95.2% successful her Class XII committee exams.

Despite her affirmative acquisition and world performance, she realised successful assemblage that the program had “critical gaps”. Stating that she went connected to win contempt the “systemic shortcomings”, she says, “Delhi authorities schools should emphasise teaching connection skills. I understood this lone aft I went to assemblage — authorities schoolhouse students consciousness a small underconfident. Students who travel from backstage schools talk successful English much comfortably.”

She discovered her “other disadvantage” erstwhile she took coaching from a backstage centre. “Government schools are much focused connected committee exams. They bash not connection capable enactment to students erstwhile it comes to competitory exams. Board exam results don’t truly substance — to get into a bully college, 1 needs to ace competitory exams,” she says.

She besides mentions overcrowded classrooms, different contented mentioned by respective others. “There was nary abstraction successful my school,” she says, adding that each schoolroom past had astatine slightest 78-90 students.

As of today, SKV Yamuna Vihar accommodates implicit 4,500 students, arsenic per authoritative information provided connected the Delhi Education Department’s website.

While Sandhya praises the vocation counseling services offered astatine her school, she says authorities schools often deficiency concept-based acquisition and interactive learning opportunities. “More debates and interactive programmes indispensable beryllium organised successful schools and classrooms to support students from feeling overwhelmed erstwhile they spell to college,” she says.

Her observations are echoed by others, including Deepanshu, 20, different pupil astatine Maulana Azad Medical College. A nonmigratory of Sultanpuri successful Northwest Delhi, Deepanshu’s parents tally a beverage stall. Entirely educated successful Delhi authorities schools, helium secured a NEET fertile of 514 without backstage coaching.

A pupil astatine Nagar Nigam Vidyalaya, Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, and RPVV successful Sultanpuri, helium says, “In superior school, I felt teachers were not diligent capable and not arsenic accessible. In mediate school, I felt that immoderate of them were precise lazy. Kuch teachers clip walk karne aate the schoolhouse (Some teachers utilized to travel to schoolhouse conscionable to walk the time).”

Deepanshu feels regular monitoring could amended teaching prime and guarantee amended accountability among teachers. “When we had a bully main who utilized to travel for regular inspection, the teachers would stay alert,” helium says.

Recalling a clip erstwhile helium was successful Class VII astatine Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya successful 2017, helium says his classes were conducted successful a impermanent tin shed.

“My schoolhouse gathering was successful a atrocious information and needed to beryllium reconstructed. By the clip it was built, I had passed retired of school. We besides lacked cleanable bathrooms,” Deepanshu says.
Calling RPVV, wherever helium studied successful Classes 11 and 12 (2021-2022), the “best school” helium attended, helium says, “RPVV is the champion schoolhouse I person been to successful my life. It has present go a SOSE. I had a precise bully counsellor who supported me. It besides had specialised connection betterment and morale-boosting lectures.”

Despite each the support, Deepanshu’s travel to clearing NEET was mostly self-dependent. “Learning from YouTube is however I cleared my NEET examination. Our schoolhouse besides had coaching classes for a month, which helped a lot,” helium says.

However, helium believes the government’s absorption should shift. “Instead of processing a bully schoolhouse similar RPVV into a SOSE, the Sarvodaya Vidyalayas and the co-ed schools which inactive request much development, should beryllium made amended and turned into SOSEs. Those are the schools that request much attention,” helium says.