Delhi's education sector bags top allocation

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday allocated the highest sectoral budget for education, placing the segment at the heart of the exercise and announcing Rs. 19,326 crore for it. This makes up 18.64 per cent of the budget and marks a slight increase from last year’s Rs. 19,291 crore, signalling a continued focus on public education.

A hallmark of the budget is a special plan to give free bicycles to girl children in class 9. The move aims to stem dropout rates at this level.

Union Education Ministry’s Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) data 2024-25 shows the dropout rate of 5.8 per cent in Delhi for Classes 9 and 10.

To address this, the CM today announced free bicycles for nearly 1.3 lakh Class 9 students, setting aside Rs 90 crore for the scheme.

In addition, meritorious students passing Class 10 will be provided laptops, with Rs. 10 crore allocated to promote digital learning.

Another Rs. 275 crore has been announced to expand the existing school infrastructure. Alongside physical infrastructure, the digital transformation of classrooms is also being accelerated.

After equipping around 7,000 classrooms with smart boards in 2025–26, the government now aims to take the number to 8,777 in the coming year, with a long-term target of 21,000 smart classrooms backed by a Rs. 150 crore allocation.

Student welfare measures form a significant part of the budget. All government schools will be equipped with dedicated medical rooms to ensure immediate healthcare support.

The Budget also reflects a strong push towards future ready education. With Rs. 18.5 crore allocated, initiatives in Artificial Intelligence, data analysis, exposure visits, and exchange programmes will be introduced to make learning more practical and globally competitive.

Higher and technical education have also received a boost, with Rs. 720 crore allocated for the sector. Infrastructure upgrades are planned at ITIs in Shahdara, Pusa and Jail Road, while new buildings will be constructed for GB Pant Engineering College and polytechnic institutes with an additional Rs. 100 crore. Centres of Excellence will be established across five ITIs in Jahangirpuri, Dheerpur, Shahdara, Narela and Nand Nagri to enhance skill-based training.

The government has also outlined an ambitious plan to position Delhi as a global education hub, including the development of an “Educity” in Narela, expansion of Ambedkar University, and the establishment of a permanent campus for a Sports University in Mundka. A Rs. 10 crore provision has also been made for the National Law University.

Sports development has been given parallel importance, with Rs. 50 crore allocated for building hostels, playgrounds and swimming pools. A Talent Hunt Scheme will be launched across 70 Assembly constituencies to identify and nurture young athletes, while rehabilitation centres in stadiums will focus on sports related health needs. Policies to promote private play schools and sports academies, along with a digital library system ensuring wider access to learning resources, are also in the pipeline.