Sternest test yet: School in race to be ready for exams

New Delhi: As rioters wreaked havoc in northeast Delhi, even schools were not spared. With life limping back to normal now, there are signs of activity there too.

DRP Convent School

in Mustafabad, for one, has started rebuilding on a war-footing to host students for the upcoming exams. On Sunday, teachers joined the management in its effort to restore the school to its original state. That won’t be easy though, with several floors damaged and the furniture charred.

Sandeep Verma

, a mathematics teacher, lent a helping hand to the carpenters. Others assisted with painting the gates and the walls. Verma said the school community would ensure that the exams, which were scheduled to start from March 13, were not postponed. “We have another branch in

Johripur

, but we are committed to holding the exams here. Everyone will come together for this purpose,” he said. The school, located along the main Brijpuri Road, caters to some 1,200 students who come from a mix of communities from Shiv Vihar as well as Mustafabad.

Most of the rooms on the ground floor have been reduced to ashes. Books have gone too. Caretaker

Roop Singh

said the school was vandalised over two days by a mob of over 1,000 people. Sunil Sharma, another teacher, said: “We will give our best shot to starting the exams on time —even if that means camping here.”

Having remained holed up in their homes for several days due to the imposition of Section 144, several parents, too, arrived at the school to not only check its condition but also help out. Teena Yadav, whose son is an LKG student, said the children were scared. “It has been a week since they last came to school. They want to go back and meet their friends,” she said. Others say that while it won’t be easy for them to send their wards to school, they have no other option. Lalita Devi said she didn’t want her two kids to lose out on a year after studying so hard.


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