Education continued to be the top priority for the Delhi government, which allocated ₹11,300 crore to the sector. The amount accounts for 24% of the ₹48,000 crore 2017-18 Delhi Budget, which was presented by Finance Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday.
The government plans to construct 24 schools and 10,000 classrooms in the coming year.
Extra curricular activities
It has also proposed to introduce pre-primary classes in 156 government schools and commerce stream at the senior-secondary level in 142 schools. The government also plans to run 10 Early Childhood Education and Development Centres to enhance the learning abilities of children aged two to six.
The government plans to introduce teaching of art, music and dance in every school and start an Extra Curricular Activity Department under the Education Department.
The government has also set aside ₹100 crore to set-up libraries in classrooms for Nursery to Class V students.
It also plans to open 400 libraries in government schools for Class VI-X students. Meanwhile, ₹182 crore has been set aside to set up more computer labs and procure more computers for existing labs.
The budget also had something for teachers, who will be provided separate workstations in the staff room with enhanced amenities. Every teacher will also get a computer tablet.
The government also plans to extend the mid-day meal scheme to all students, and supplement the existing nutrition content by providing a banana or a boiled egg to each student.
Higher education
Ambedkar University will get four new campuses at Dheerur, Rohini, Karala and Lodhi Road by 2022.
An east Delhi campus for Guru Govind Singh Indraprashtha University has also been proposed.
It will be built at a cost of ₹271 crore,
To ensure that the government has high quality teachers at these institutes, a teacher training institute will be opened at Lodhi Road.
The government has also planned to expand the capacity of Delhi Technical University, Netaji Subhash University of Technology and IIIT Delhi. A permanent camp for Indira Gandhi Technical University for Women will also be constructed on 50 acres of land at Dera Mandi Village.
