New Delhi: Under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the tenth meeting of the cabinet on 13 June introduced an ambitious program to change the education system in the state of Delhi corresponding to the Central Government initiatives. The cabinet debated topics such as administration efficiency, urban development, and public welfare, with education taking centre stage. Another radical step has been a budgetary allocation of 900 crore rupees (approximately 108 million dollars) to buy 18966 smart blackboards that will be installed in public schools with the aim of having even more facilities than those existing in the private schools.
This project will be implemented in five stages, i.e., equipping the classrooms (and, in particular, classrooms in grades 9–12) with advanced smart blackboards. Out of it, there will be 2,446 television sets installed within 75 CM Shri Schools, which is a new model of government-run schools proposed by the administration to impose a criterion of quality education. There will be special training for the teachers to introduce the technology, which will enable them to access textbooks and interactive learning tools through digital media in their classrooms.
Change in Education
The government was determined to transform education, said State Minister Ashish Sood, addressing the press. Chief Minister Gupta’s administration, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, is committed to transforming Delhi’s schools. Sood noted that, out of all the classrooms existing in the city, only 799 could be counted as smart classrooms, and the majority of that funding was done as a part of corporate social responsibility. The new plan aims to revamp approximately 50 percent of classrooms in Delhi to create an environment conducive to computer-based learning.
Sood too attacked the earlier government, calling them mismanagers of education money and involved in corrupt activities. “The previous regime used to carry out frauds under the guise of education, and people would be answerable as far as accountability was concerned, he claimed. He dismissed initiatives such as advertising parent-teacher meetings, arguing that true change lies in using technology to connect disadvantaged students with the best educators. So in using smart blackboards, he said, anyone can bring up the best science teachers to any child, anywhere.
New Classrooms and Critics Response
The government’s announcement of building 18,000 new classrooms nullified claims that it had reduced the education budget. Sood dismissed claims of decreased expenditure, saying, the truth is we are creating thousands of new classrooms with the same money. He blamed the outgoing regime for not implementing real changes, despite the increased emphasis on media campaigns. He joked that writing articles in newspapers does not improve the quality of schools.
The launch of “CM Shri Schools” is a bigger step towards establishing exemplary schools that compete with the privately run schools in terms of quality. The launch date is not announced yet, but authorities hint at substantial progress in the next few months. Through these changes, the leadership of Delhi is hoping to transform the educational field into one of technology and mobility to make the new generation stronger.