Deepalaya - Enabling Self-Reliance

Deepalaya School, Sanjay Colony (or DSSC ) is located in Okhla Industrial Area, Phase II. Migrants from states around Delhi (Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh) and also from Bangladesh reside in the slums of Sanjay Colony, Okhla and are mostly employed in petty jobs in the nearby factories. With low incomes these families struggle to earn a decent living. Deepalaya School tries to give the children of these families an opportunity for education, which would otherwise be unaffordable.

In 1992 the Deepalaya School shifted to the community of Sanjay Colony, after functioning from the Chittaranjan Park, South Delhi for many years.

The school provides education to 1007 students, consisting of 593 girls and 414 boys. A good gender balance in providing education is seen as a big success for Deepalaya, which has been working hard to provide quality education for girls. The school has employed 25 teachers, specialized in different subjects, who impart knowledge to the children.

The school runs classes from LKG to Xth. Each class has two sections. In the lower classes there are 40-45 pupils supervised by two teachers. The higher classes consist of 25-30 students.

For the children the school day starts at 07.55 am with an assembly. From 08.15 am onwards regular lessons begin. The main subjects are Maths, English, Hindi, Science and Social Science. Sanskrit is also taught to the students from Vth class onwards. A school year is divided into three terms, at the end of each term the students have to pass their exam. In the 3rd, 5th and 8th classes the students appear for exams under OBE (Open basic Examination) conducted by NIOS (National institute of Open School). However students of class Xth have to appear for NIOS exams to rise to the next standard. In between the children have weekly and monthly class tests, so the teachers can assist the development effectively. In the junior classes the teachers try to connect learning and playing, to make attending school interesting.

It is also the duty of the teachers to meet the parents periodically and share the progress of their child. The teachers have to conduct a home visit to ascertain and facilitate the necessary corrective actions if a child is not attending school regularly.

For many parents it’s a big help if individual sponsors pay for utilities. Health check ups too are included in these fees. Once in a year dental and physical examinations are done, and visual tests are done weekly, which the parents can call for. Sponsors can enable a better health care by sponsoring individual child.