New Delhi: The Delhi government, while announcing the Rs 69,000 crore Budget estimate for the 2021-22 fiscal, allocated the highest share of Rs 16,377 crore or nearly 25 per cent of the total Budget to the Education department.
Under the Schools of Excellence scheme, 100 schools of Specialized Excellence from classes IX to XII will be opened which will also include the existing 'Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya' and the School of Excellence that were opened 5 years ago.
The State's Finance Minister while announcing the 2019-20 Budget had proposed a total outlay of Rs 15,601 crore which included Rs 13,518 crore under Revenue and Rs 2,083 crore under Capital expenditures.
"An amount of Rs 7,818 crore is earmarked for implementation of various programs, schemes and projects under the Education Sector in 2019-20. The Education Sector has the highest share of 26 percent of total budget allocation in 2019-20," he had said at the time.
In the latest Budget, the Education sector will see major changes — from the syllabus for nursery to class 8, to its own school education board and setting up 100 schools of excellence and promotion of the Deshbhakti Curriculum.
"At least one period of each class will be mandatory for the 'Deshbhakti' (patriotism) curriculum and the main objective of it is to ensure that children learn patriotism, to make them good human beings and to make them responsible towards the country," the Minister said while announcing the Budget.
The pandemic brought its influence in the Education sector as well with more focus on online learning which has prompted the government to have its own Virtual Delhi Model School so that learning facilities are available 24x7.
The Deputy CM announced that the government has also made a provision for virtual classes in its Budget. "Virtual classes would not require walls or buildings. These classes would be completely online and students from across the nation can participate in these virtual classes. It would be in the line of any time and anywhere learning system," he said.
The AAP-led government will also set up a university for teachers and its main purpose will be to provide better training for the school teachers.
"There were teachers in our schools who did not know how to use smartphones. We trained them and they conducted online classes for one year," Sisodia said.
The state's Finance Minister, who also holds the education portfolio said that the new Budget makes room for the setting up of a Law University and the Delhi Skills and Entrepreneurship University — the work for which had already begun along with a sports university which will be initiated later this year.
The Directorate of Education (DoE) in a bid to improve English communication skills amongst the youth in the Higher Education section has also proposed a scheme for students who have completed schooling — aimed at improving spoken English which will help the students at the time of job seeking.
The capital has witnessed an increase of 36.42 per cent in the seats for higher education and 66.44 per cent in technical education which the government also aims to encourage through the construction of the East campus of the Guru Gobind Singh IP University which is expected to be completed by May 2021.
"The new campus of Ambedkar University in Dhirpur and Rohini would be completed by September 2023 which shall increase the intake capacity of students by 8,500," the Minister said.
In addition to this, the Delhi government has also announced that it will build a Sainik School in the city and along with it also set up a Delhi Armed Forces Preparatory Academy to train students for the armed forces and instill in them a quality of serving the nation.