The Delhi government has launched Heritage Clubs in 75 CM Shri government schools to connect students with the Capital’s history, culture, architecture and documentary heritage through practical activities. The programme will be supported by the Department of Art, Culture and Language and the Delhi Archives.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the initiative would take students beyond textbook-based learning and give them opportunities to experience Delhi’s heritage directly. She said children should understand the significance of the historical buildings and sites around them, as well as their connection with the city’s history.
“Merely studying history is not enough, it is important to connect children with their roots,” Gupta said. She also said it was important for children to know their roots and understand the history of their city.
The clubs will organise activities throughout the year, including heritage walks and visits to historical sites, museums, archives and libraries. Students will also participate in heritage quizzes, poster and painting competitions, exhibitions, Heritage Days and Heritage Festivals.
The programme will include project-based work on local history. Students are expected to prepare replicas of historical monuments, produce short documentaries and films on Delhi’s culture and heritage, and document oral histories and local traditions through interactions with senior members of communities. Traditional art and crafts will also be introduced through the clubs.
Education Minister Ashish Sood said connecting the younger generation with Delhi’s heritage was essential. He said students would be introduced to the city’s history, the freedom struggle, its heroes and personalities, as well as its art, culture and local traditions.
Sood said the initiative was part of the government’s objective to establish Delhi not only as the political capital of the country but also as its startup and cultural capital. The statement places the school programme within a wider effort to connect education with the city’s cultural identity.
Art, Culture and Language Minister Kapil Mishra said Delhi’s history was not limited to Mehrauli and the Red Fort. He said the clubs would introduce government school students to what he described as the “real history, rich heritage and culture of Delhi”.
The institutional structure announced for the programme gives the Department of Art, Culture and Language and the Delhi Archives a supporting role alongside the participating government schools. The government has not stated in the supplied announcement how the clubs will be staffed, how activities will be funded or how participation and outcomes will be assessed.
The launch therefore begins a school-based heritage programme spanning site visits, archival engagement, local documentation, creative work and community interaction. Further details on the implementation schedule and the participating schools’ activity calendars have not been provided in the announcement.
