10 new schools of specialised excellence to be functional in Delhi from academic year 2022-23

NEW DELHI: Ten new schools of specialised excellence (SoSEs) will be operational in Delhi from the 2022-23 academic session and an Armed Forces Preparatory School (AFPS) will start operating in the Jharoda Kalan area, according to officials of the directorate of education (DoE). The total number of SoSEs operational in the academic session will be 31.

"Ten more schools across four specialisations (four STEM, two humanities, two performing and visual arts and two high-end 21st-century skills) are being added, while the AFPS will be operational in Jharoda Kalan. Thus, the total number of SoSEs in the academic year 2022-23 will be 31," a senior DoE official said. "All SoSEs shall be affiliated to the Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE) operating in partnership with the International Baccalaureate (IB). Admissions will be offered in Class 9 in all the schools and in Class 11 in the STEM SoSEs and the AFPS through an aptitude test or on the basis of a child's demonstrated interest in earlier classes," the official added.

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The Delhi government had launched the SoSEs last year as choice-based schools. With world-class infrastructure and facilities suited to transact new-age curriculum and assessment in specialised domains, the students of these schools will have the opportunity for experiential learning through projects, field visits and internships in their areas of interest. Twenty such schools were made operational in the first phase last year.

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"The online application process is open from Thursday and the aptitude test will be conducted between March 15-30. The students studying in any government, government-aided or recognised schools of Delhi and those who are residents of Delhi are eligible to apply for admission. At least 50 percent seats in each SoSE will be filled from the students of the government or government-aided schools of Delhi and the remaining seats will be available for the students studying in any recognised school of Delhi," the DoE official said. "A minimum of 60 per cent aggregate marks in Class 7 is required for admission in Class 9 of any SoSE. In case of performing and visual arts, the minimum marks requirement can be waived if the candidate has received an award in any art form in a competition at the zonal level and upwards," the official said.

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