NEW DELHI: After passing out of Class XII in 2014, Ashwani, a resident of Paprawat village in Najafgarh in southwest Delhi, had to go all the way to Bhopal to pursue a primary teachers’ training course as there were no colleges near his house offering him the same option. Going to the nearest college meant travelling one way for at least two hours.
With the belief that future generations of his village and surrounding areas should have equal opportunities, the 30-year-old has decided to send a letter signed by 100 other people living in different villages to lieutenant governor Anil Baijal and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. The 100 people who have signed the letter belong to Paprawat, Daurala, Ghumanhera, Jhatikara, Rawta and Shikarpur villages.
The initiative was started by Delhi Dehat Sangathan (DDS) when it was heard that the campus of Delhi Sports University was being set up in Mundka in west Delhi.
The residents have been pressing demands for the educational institutions because both Delhi University (DU) and Ambedkar University (AUD) possess land in these areas. Ashwani said, “For the past several years, we have been hearing that colleges will come up here. However, we have completed our studies but still nothing has happened. Travelling for several hours is not safe or feasible for students.”
DDS member Deepak Yadav said, “When land has already been allotted to AUD and DU, then why should the youth of our area lose out on educational opportunities?”
DU was given land at Roshanpura in the 1990s, while AUD was allotted a plot in Ghumanhera in 2017. Yadav, an alumnus of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, had to travel for almost 33km one way to attend classes at Maharaja Surajmal College.
“If anyone wants to enrol in DU, they have to register either in Shivaji College or Rajdhani College where the choice of subjects is limited. For women, there is at least Aditi Mahavidyalaya, but even that has limited courses. Just because we live in villages doesn’t mean we should not get equal opportunities. An RTI filed by me revealed that the matter was stuck due to delay in the departments. I have sent those documents to the LG and CM too,” said Yadav.
