Education gets highest share of Rs 16K cr in Delhi budget

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Tuesday allocated the highest share of Rs 16,377 crore to the education department, while the health sector was allocated Rs 9,934 crore, in its annual budget for FY 2021-22.

Out of the total estimated budget of Rs 69,000 crore for 2021-22 fiscal, the education department was allocated 25 per cent share and the health department 14 per cent share.

Finance Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio in the Delhi government, said that under its new education system, the government will give more emphasis on critical learning for the students.

The Minister said there will be three major developments in the education department -- changing of the syllabus from nursery to class 8, to have own school education board and setting up of 100 schools of excellence.

"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 being and to make them responsible towards the country. Through our new education system, the Delhi government will also ensure that school children do not only get good marks and jobs in big firms but they should be able to create jobs for other too. This is the responsibility that we want to make them learn," Delhi Education Minister said.

The Minister further said that the Covid-19 pandemic has made some initial changes in the life of all section of people.

Parents who were not aware of smart phones before the pandemic, they learned operating smart phone through their children.

Delhi government carried out online and offline study and kept parents engaged with every development.

During the Budget, the Deputy Chief Minister also announced that apart from excellence schools and universities or Delhi State Education Board (DSEB), the government has also made a provision for virtual classes.

Elaborating more about the virtual classes, Sisodia said, "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 anytime and anywhere learning system."

Delhi government will also set up a university of teachers and its main purpose will be to provide better training for the 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," said Sisodia.

These schools will not be restricted to four walls. Focus will only be on studies, teachers, children, enrollment, and curriculum, he said.

"We have started work on its design and it may be the first of its kind in the world. Any child in the country wanted to study under Delhi model of education can make use of this," added Sisodia.

While presenting the Budget, Sisodia ensured that vaccination in all the Delhi government-run hospitals will be free.

The government has announced to sanction an amount of Rs 50 crore for the vaccination drive.

In another major decision in the health sector, the Delhi government announced that it will setup as many as 100 separate Mahila clinics (women) across the city.

The development will be done in the of AAP's government previous scheme - Mohalla Clinics.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, "We will ensure that at least one separate women clinic and it would be apart from existing Mohalla clinics scheme. These clinics will be made women-friendly, especially keeping in mind the problems of lower and middle-class women.

Women in higher income class can excess doctors for their particular problem and they can share their problem easily with doctors but women from lower and middle class groups hesitate to share their problem. Therefore, the Delhi government will provide women clinics at their colonies."

In the Budget, Sisodia also announced a cloud-based Health Information Management System (HIMS) and digital health card.

He told the house that Delhi in the next line of improvement in the health system in the capital, the government will provide health card for citizen of the city.

Reacting to the annual Budget, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "Despite facing tough phases due to Covid-19 pandemic, our government has maintained surplus in the annual Budget. It has covered all section of people, women, senior citizen, people belongs to poor economy and higher economy. Since, the first Budget, our main focus was on health and education sectors and therefore this year too we have allocated highest share for health and education from out total budget."