What is a model public school and what can it make possible for a child? For Delhi’s CM SHRI School system, the answer extends beyond modern facilities and strong examination outcomes. The model seeks to combine rigorous learning with wider exposure, increased student agency and clearer pathways to higher education and careers, thus creating institutions where every learner, regardless of background, has a genuine chance to discover and develop their potential.
Q1. What is the vision behind Delhi’s CM SHRI School system? What do you hope a CM SHRI School student will experience, achieve and become by the time they leave school?
The starting point for CM SHRI Schools is a straightforward question: what does a genuinely good public school look like? Not good by the standards of limited expectation — not “good for a government school” — but good by any measure. We wanted to build institutions where the quality of teaching, the richness of exposure and the seriousness of academic culture can stand alongside the best schools in the country. That means these schools are not simply about better infrastructure, though the infrastructure matters. Smart classrooms, equipped libraries, high-end laboratories — these create the conditions. But the real ambition is in what happens inside those classrooms: students who think clearly, ask questions and solve problems with a futuristic mindset.
When I think about what a CM SHRI student should be by the time they finish school, I think of a young person who is academically strong but also curious, self-assured and aware of the opportunities available to them. Our students are gaining practical skills and are ready to excel in today’s dynamic workspace. If we can produce that kind of learner consistently, at scale, within the public system, they will not only be able to create better lives for themselves and their families, but lead the nation towards greater heights of innovation.
Q2. Excellence in public education can sometimes be interpreted as selecting the already advantaged. How is the CM SHRI model thinking about the relationship between excellence, inclusion and equity of opportunity?
This is a question we take seriously, because the risk is real. If a model school simply picks the most prepared students and gives only them more resources, you have only deepened the divide. The whole purpose of a public-school model is defeated if it does not serve children who need it the most.
We provide affirmative action for students from government and government-aided schools, and we have built in equity measures for SC, ST, OBC and CWSN categories. The commitment to equity is one that continues after admission as well: are we identifying potential early, supporting students who may lack confidence, and creating an environment where a first-generation learner feels the same sense of belonging and possibility as anyone else?
Our aim is to develop a structured student journey from Grade 6 to Grade 12. This will be through our eight pillars which are AI-enabled classrooms, new-age courses, student-centric pedagogies, industry connects, mental well-being and socio-emotional learning, multilingual learning focus, holistic and co-curricular development, and industry connects. This path is envisioned to prepare students to thrive as they step out of school as citizens of the world.
In Grades 6 to 8, we focus on exploration through interdisciplinary projects, fun with mathematics and science, peer and tech-enabled and adaptive learning, and experiential, inquiry based pedagogy. As students progress to Grades 9 and 10, the emphasis is more on application of skills, foreign language learning, field visits, and AI-based learning enabling exposure in multiple fields. Finally, in Grades 11 and 12, through prioritisation of multi-disciplinary specialisation and future readiness by way of career guidance, internships, and preparation for competitive exams, we ensure that students are equipped to make informed decisions about their future.
We are also focusing on continued teacher capacity building to ensure high quality subject-specific learning, in addition to having a strong cadre of Educational and Vocational Guidance Counsellors who can provide counselling support for mental well-being and career support.
Q3. The industry exposure focus is an important departure from a conventional school experience. What need was it designed to meet, and how can external partnerships meaningfully contribute to a student’s journey?
Most of our students come from families where no one has worked in a corporate office, a research laboratory or a technology company. The world of professional work is invisible to them. You cannot aspire to something you have never seen. That is the gap that such programmes are meant to close.
The idea is not vocational training in the narrow sense. It is about exposure, about demystifying the working world and helping students connect what they learn in school to what is possible afterwards. When a student spends time in a real workplace by observing, asking questions, contributing to a small project, something shifts in their thinking. They begin to see themselves as people who belong in those spaces.
What makes this meaningful is that it connects back to the classroom. Students return with questions, with a sense of purpose, with a clearer understanding of why their subjects matter. Over the past few months, we have enabled multiple such opportunities for students across grades in our schools. Examples include:
- A 3-week robotics innovation bootcamp held for 100 students at IIIT-Delhi, where expert mentors guided students as they developed prototypes to solve real-world problems.
- An industry immersion programme which allowed students to experience real workplaces and work on projects aligned with their academic domains before making higher education and career decisions.
- An ongoing advanced nurturance programme for Mathematical Olympiad participation support for 40 students identified through a rigorous process, being led by professors from India’s leading universities.
Q4. What would success look like for the CM SHRI School system over the next three to five years, and how will you assess whether expert partnerships are creating durable opportunities for students?
Success has to be measured at several levels, and examination results alone will not tell us what we need to know.
At the student level, I want to see not only improved learning outcomes but also changes in confidence, participation and aspiration. 100% of CM SHRI students should not only be equipped with technical skills and have adequate exposure to make informed career choices, but must also develop emotional intelligence, stress management capabilities and mindfulness.
At the school level, the question is whether teaching practice is genuinely evolving. This includes efficient integration of technology in the pedagogy, but also individual teacher capability and classroom culture. This ultimately determines whether a school is a model school or simply a well-funded one. Our schools should also be able to open pathways to higher education across the world.
For the specific programmes, like the ones I mentioned above, we will look at completion rates, quality of the experience, the breadth of students reached and, critically, whether there is equitable access. A programme that serves only the most confident students in the most accessible schools is not meeting its purpose.
At the system level, the most important question is transferability. The non-negotiable before anything moves from pilot to scale is evidence: clear evidence that it works, that it is equitable, and that the system has the capacity to sustain it without depending on a single individual or organisation.
