No MCD school shut, all 1,514 functioning, says mayor amid AAP-BJP tussle over Arogya Mandirs

Delhi Mayor Pravesh Wahi denied AAP's claim that 48 MCD schools were being converted into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, stating all 1,514 primary schools remain operational.

A political row over the alleged closure of MCD schools intensified on Thursday, with Delhi Mayor Pravesh Wahi trashing AAP's claim that 48 schools were being converted into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, asserting that no school had been shut and all the 1,514 MCD primary schools remained operational.

In a statement issued by the mayor's office, Wahi termed the allegations levelled by the Leader of Opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Ankush Narang, ''completely false'' and said the BJP-led civic body remained committed to strengthening the municipal education infrastructure.

''About one and a half years ago, when the BJP came to power in Delhi and returned to power in the municipal corporation, there were 1,514 operational schools under the MCD where around 6.5 lakh students were studying. Even today, all the 1,514 primary schools remain operational,'' Wahi said.

The mayor's remarks came after the AAP alleged that 48 MCD schools had been ''shut'' and their premises handed over for conversion into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, in violation of court directions governing educational land use.

Addressing a press conference at the Civic Centre on Thursday, Narang claimed that the MCD education department issued no-objection certificates for converting school properties into health centres instead of improving school infrastructure.

According to an MCD education department order dated February 2, several sites, including old school buildings in Molarband Extension, Puth Khurd, Nangal Thakran and Sultanpur Dabas, were identified for ''upgradation into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs''.

The BJP-led civic body, however, maintained that only vacant plots, unsafe buildings or underutilised premises were being repurposed for healthcare facilities and no functioning schools were being closed.

Wahi said the BJP government aimed to transform all the MCD schools into institutions comparable to English-medium private schools by 2032.

''By 2032, all municipal schools will be developed on the model of English-medium private schools,'' he said, adding that the civic body was also moving towards establishing ''Nigam Shri Vidyalayas'' on the lines of Delhi government model schools.

The mayor also claimed that student enrollment in the MCD schools had increased under the BJP, and accused the AAP of indulging in ''political rhetoric'' instead of focusing on development issues.