Delhi government orders revamp of school for deaf

25.10.2018 New Delhi:
Social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Thursday ordered renovation of the playground, classes and the auditorium of the only senior secondary school for the deaf in the city.

A day after TOI reported that 40% of the school premises has been occupied by the department, Gautam also asked officials to ensure that the school gets dedicated premises.

National Association for the Deaf (NAD), along with students of Lady Noyce Senior Secondary School, protested on Thursday, asking the department to vacate the premises occupied since 2005. For over eight years, NAD has been demanding that the premises be vacated by the department. They were recently told that the department would need two and a half years to be vacate the space.

On Wednesday, TOI visited the school and found it to be in a dilapidated state.

NAD welcomed the immediate intervention by the government and said it would wait for a week so that a joint inspection could be conducted.

“A delegation met the minister and he was shocked to hear that the school and the office were operating from the same premises. He has assured that a joint inspection of the school will be conducted,” said A S Narayanan, president, NAD. He added that NAD was ready to give the government time to work, but would protest again if the issue didn’t get resolved.

According to a government statement, “The bona fide demands of the students will be taken into consideration along with the need of the social welfare department, which is providing services to other disabled too, as well as senior citizens and those from underprivileged communities.” A team comprising the social welfare secretary, director, estate officer, and the assistant director will execute the order, it added.

Gautam also announced that an open gym on the school ground would also be made functional for the students. The government will also ensure that no vehicle is parked on the school premises so that the students may utilise their playground and other activity areas conveniently, said the statement.

The department has also called the principal of the school for interaction and to explore the options to improve facilitation of the upcoming services.