NEW DELHI: After six years of aiding students across Delhi government and MCD schools strengthen their foundational knowledge, the ‘Mission Buniyaad’ programme has come to an abrupt halt this year. The sudden discontinuation has left educators concerned and students in a lurch, as they may miss a vital support that once made learning enjoyable and accessible.
Launched in 2018, the initiative focused on improving basic literacy and numeracy skills among students from Classes 3 to 8 through interactive learning methods. Besides, children were also provided refreshments during the programme, making it attractive.
But this year, the new government has not initiated any such programme for students lagging behind in reading, writing and comprehension skills. Similarly, in MCD schools, Mission Buniyaad was discontinued without replacing it with any other similar programme.
Speaking to the newspaper, MCD education director Sanjay Singh said, "We discontinued the programme from this year. We are still discussing and getting clarity on the issue. There was no direction from the Delhi government on this. However, we have organised two camps in our schools – fun camps and summer camps."
However, Director of Education Veditha Reddy did not respond to any queries.
Meanwhile, the former education advisor during the AAP government, Shailendra Sharma, said, "This government claims to be committed to implementing the NEP 2020, but actually they are just violating it. NEP says the policy itself will only become relevant if all students learn to read, write and do basic arithmetic. Mission Buniyaad has been doing precisely that. By stopping it abruptly, the BJP government proves once again that they are not serious about education."
On April 5, this newspaper had reported that after the Education Minister’s announcment that schemes implemented by the previous government will be discontinued, most government schools had dropped Mission Buniyaad from time tables.
Parents in lurch
The discontinuation of the programme has also sparked deep concerns among parents, especially those from economically weaker sections. For them the programme was more than an educational support system – it was a source of daily nourishment and dignity for their children. Knowing that their children would receive at least one nutritious meal daily, gave many families a sense of relief.