By Chandan Singh | Page 3 News Worldwide | New Delhi
NEW DELHI: Delhi Education Minister Shri Ashish Sood on Tuesday distributed 581 bicycles to Class 9 girl students at two government schools in Block A, Janakpuri, under the Delhi Government’s Vidya Vahini Yojana.
Students of Government Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya (GSKV), A-Block, and Government Girls Senior Secondary School, A-Block, received the bicycles during the event.
The Vidya Vahini Yojana aims to support secondary education for girls by providing high-quality branded bicycles to all 1.40 lakh Class 9 girl students across Delhi. So far, nearly 18,000 girls have received bicycles under the ongoing distribution drives, with the initiative aimed at making their daily journey to school easier, safer and more convenient.
Addressing students, parents and school officials, Sood said the initiative was not merely about transportation but about giving girls greater freedom and confidence.
“For me, this joy is not merely that bicycles are being given to our daughters. My joy lies in the fact that while we perhaps could not attach wings to their dreams, we have given them wheels,” he said.
Sood said bicycles would symbolise freedom, self-reliance and independence, enabling girls to travel to school, visit nearby markets and undertake daily errands without depending on family members. He also urged mothers to encourage their daughters to ride independently and build confidence.
The minister also highlighted several education and infrastructure initiatives being undertaken by the Delhi government under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
To improve pedestrian safety and address traffic congestion on Pankha Road near C-1 and Jeevan Park Som Bazaar, approvals have been secured for two new foot-over bridges.
Schools are also being equipped with 75-inch smart displays from LG and Samsung to promote experiential learning under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The smart classrooms are intended to help students understand complex concepts through videos and interactive boards.
The minister said schools had also received modern ICT laboratories with 40 new computers, besides specialised language labs aimed at helping students learn regional and international languages.
Under the DEEV Project, student teams are being provided grants of ₹20,000 to develop innovations such as drones, smartwatches and mobile applications.
Sood further pledged that the 50-year-old school building would be completely rebuilt during the current five-year tenure.
Under the Madan Mohan Malaviya Education Mission, the government is also providing two years of free coaching at premier institutes such as Aakash and Narayana for entrance examinations including NEET, CUET, CA, ICWA and CLAT.
Urging students to focus on conceptual understanding rather than merely examination scores, Sood encouraged the girls to aim for leading universities through CUET and aspire to take up leadership roles across different fields.
