21,000 smart classrooms: Delhi approves Rs 900-crore plan to modernise govt schools

School

The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday approved a Rs 900 crore plan to modernise government schools. The five-year project aims to add 21,412 smart classrooms, upgrade school facilities, and introduce a dedicated teacher training programme, Hindustan Times reported.

As per the report, this is the first major education initiative under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government after coming to power in February. The decision was made at a cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday.

Education Minister Ashish Sood explained that this project is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and is designed to bring government schools up to the level of private schools by providing better infrastructure and digital learning tools.

At present, Delhi government schools have 37,778 classrooms, but only 799 of them have smart boards. These were mostly set up through corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts, not with government funds.

To change this, the government plans to add 21,412 smart classrooms over the next few years. Around 4,466 of these will be ready by the end of 2024, and about 4,000 more will be added each year until 2029-30.

“The Delhi cabinet has approved sweeping reforms in the education sector during its 10th cabinet meeting, setting the stage for transformation under the NEP framework. A comprehensive smart classroom expansion plan will be rolled out. We will begin with 2,446 smart blackboards across 75 CM Shri Schools, that part of the project is already in advanced stages, and then take it forward to an additional 18,966 classrooms,” HT quoted Sood as saying.

The smart classrooms will cater to students from Classes 9 to 12. These will be equipped with digital blackboards, interactive learning screens, internet-based teaching tools, and software that supports hands-on and personalised learning, as suggested in the NEP 2020.

According to Delhi’s latest Economic Survey, the city has 1,053 government-run schools, with about 1.8 million students and 70,111 teachers.

Along with classroom upgrades, the government will also launch a new training module for teachers to help them adjust to digital teaching methods.

The education minister also criticised the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, saying that from 2014 to 2024, only 799 smart classrooms were added, and even those were through donations. “Meanwhile, they claimed an education revolution by building structures in select areas. We are focused on delivering quality education in every corner of Delhi,” he added.

Sood responded to claims that education spending had been reduced, saying, “We didn’t cut the budget, we focused it. Others posed for photos in front of buildings; we’re investing where it matters — in classrooms and teachers,” he said.