Prem Nagar Lacks Primary School for 8,000 Children as Land Allotment Stalls
Residents of Prem Nagar in northwest Delhi are facing an acute shortage of primary education facilities, with the absence of a municipal primary school in Ward No. 38 forcing thousands of local children to travel outside the area to attend classes.
According to a representation submitted by education activist Ashok Agarwal, Ward No. 38 has a population of nearly 2.5 lakh residents and is home to between 7,000 and 8,000 children. Despite these numbers, the locality does not have a single municipal primary school, leaving neighbourhood families dependent on limited seats at an existing government school or distant institutions in neighbouring localities.
Efforts to set up a primary school in Prem Nagar have been underway for nearly three years, but administrative clearances and land allotment decisions remain pending between multiple agencies, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and the Delhi government.
The representation noted that formal requests for DDA land allotment were submitted in September 2023. The MCD education department subsequently pursued the matter with the DDA in October 2025 and January 2026. However, a final decision has yet to be finalised.
To demonstrate the local deficit, the representation cited certificates issued by nearby municipal schools confirming that numerous Prem Nagar children travel to their facilities due to the lack of a school in Ward No. 38. School records indicate groups of roughly 123, 86, and 58 students from Prem Nagar are currently enrolled in separate institutions across neighbouring areas.
An MCD official stated that proactive measures are underway in coordination with other civic bodies to set up the school. The official said that the DDA has identified an approximately 1,100-square-metre plot, and the proposal has been sent to the executive engineer (project) to review technical feasibility. Once the site is confirmed feasible, allotment and construction procedures will be initiated alongside other administrative formalities to prevent further delay.
Agarwal has urged authorities to convene a joint meeting of the departments involved to settle pending administrative bottlenecks, set a firm construction schedule, and address safety concerns regarding young children travelling outside the neighbourhood.
