Inspect, update report, assess academic indicators: Over 50 Delhi govt schools flagged for poor results, put under mentorship

Indian Express

03-07-2025

The Delhi Education Department has identified 56 government schools with the lowest pass percentages in Class 9 and Class 11 during the 2024-25 academic session, and placed them under the direct mentorship of its senior officers.
The list, prepared based on result analysis by the Directorate of Education (DOE)'s Exam Branch, includes schools where Class 9 pass percentages dipped as low as 45.37 per cent. Among the lowest-performing schools in Class 9 are West Azad Nagar-Government Co-ed SSS (pass percentage: 45.37 per cent), Qutab Road-SBV (46.75 per cent), Katewara-GBSSS (48.57 per cent), and Bindapur-GBSSS (50.83 per cent). Several others recorded pass rates in the range of 51–59 per cent. Only two schools from the list were flagged for low performance in Class 11 — Sunder Nagari-GBSSS and Keshavpuram-SBV.
In a circular Tuesday, DOE assigned one officer to each school 'for mentoring the overall academic performance during the session 2025-26'. 'Mentors are expected to visit the respective schools at least once in a fortnight and submit the Inspection Report… preferably on the same day of visit,' read the circular.
Deputy directors of education (DDEs) from various zones and districts have been tasked with adopting these schools. After conducting the inspections, the officers must submit updated, detailed reports to the Delhi Education Management Information System (MIS), according to officials.
As part of the inspection, officials will assess a comprehensive set of academic indicators, including the identification of low-performing subjects, teacher vacancies, student attendance, availability of learning materials, usage of NCERT textbooks, the status of ICT labs, and the implementation of vocational education, among others.
The officials would check whether school heads and teachers have adopted individual low-performing students for academic mentoring, and whether their progress is being tracked. A verification of the usage of CBSE/DoE-issued sample papers, action plans for low achievers, and whether parents are being regularly informed about attendance and performance will also be done.
Beyond a one-time intervention, the academic recovery plan is grounded in long-term monitoring. The mentors have been instructed to observe three-year result trends for classes 9 to 12.
With year-wise performance and fail percentages being tracked, this is also not the first time the Delhi Government has undertaken the initiative. In 2024, 67 Delhi Government schools were put under 32 district-level officers in the Education Department for mentorship.
The circular also refers to Mission Mathematics, an ongoing programme introduced to strengthen math learning, which was expanded this year to Classes 6 to 10. The officials are expected to monitor the implementation of this programme and Teaching Learning Material (TLM) competitions during their school visits. The emphasis, the Directorate noted, is on 'need-based academic support' and improving learning outcomes in a 'joyful' and 'centric' manner.