Schools mushroom in Noida as admissions elude kids in Delhi

Gautam Budh Nagar has 865 primary schools (Class I to V), 337 junior schools (Class VI to X), and 10 government-aided schools (see box for detailed break-up). Together, they account for 1.6 lakh students — double the number when compared to 2004. Going by government records and norms, Gautam Budh Nagar district (comprising Noida, Greater Noida and Dadri) has crossed the number of schools in a district, vis-à-vis the population, as per prescribed norms.

Education Officer Dharam Veer Singh says, “According to government norms, there should be one primary school for every 3,000 people in the district.” In Gautam Budh Nagar, the ratio is 1:2,000.

The number of private schools in the district has increased by leaps and bounds despite the state government withdrawing land subsidies, says Singh. Twenty schools came up in 2007.

Education department officials say there is no record of the number of nursery schools and playschools, for they have cropped up in practically every other colony to cater to the rise in demand. With admission problems plaguing Delhi, officials in the district expect more parents to head for Noida or Greater Noida to hunt for seats for their children. Result: more schools in the offing.

Even established schools in Delhi are now looking at their Noida branches to meet the admission rush. Singh says the number of students has grown so much in the last few years that “we (the government) have had to open many schools and sanction many others”.

In 2007, the district saw the government open seven new primary schools and five junior schools. Eight private schools, too, came up, most of them in Greater Noida. The number of nursery schools, say officials, is “not possible to count”.

Neena Bhatnagar, who opened Pebbles Nursery School in Greater Noida, says she faced little problems. “We just had to wait for the land allotment. There was no other issue to be taken care of.”

Officials say it was a conscious decision not to put too much pressure on schools. The Education Officer says the schools just have to ensure that basic requirements are in place. Regular inspection of the institutions will be done to monitor their performance, he adds. These aside, he says, “we have taken a soft stand”. Many private schools are coming up despite the fact that Noida and Greater Noida do not offer land at subsidised rates to schools any more, says Singh.

While established names like Amity International, DPS, and Somerville School have seen significant increase in the number of admissions, there are many smaller and relatively unknown schools also which are experiencing a bigger rush now.

Baire Ram of Maharishi Vidya Mandir says the school gets students from as far as Faridabad and other areas of Delhi. “We add at least five more buses to our fleet every year.”

Dharam Veer Singh says new private schools can pitch in where the government school lacks — teachers and adequate infrastructure. More than 200 of the 661 government-run primary and junior schools in the district, he says, do not have even one teacher for the entire school.