Proposing a “three fold education strategy”, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia emphasised proper management in the public education sector and advanced training for the teachers.
“It is our goal that within next three years we will make government schools better than private schools,” Sisodia said.
While presenting the budget 2016-17, Sisodia, who also holds the finance and education portfolios, outlined his government’s strategy by focusing on infrastructure, more energetic teachers and a model syllabus for an enhanced education system.
“We had worked towards improving the infrastructure, therefore the major focus this year is on the training and capacity building of teachers and principals,” he said and proposed to keep teachers away from the non-academic activities like census.
He said that major focus this year is needed for advanced teachers training, for which Rs.102 crore has been proposed against Rs.9.4 crore in 2015-16.
“We propose special training for the teachers at world class universities like Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge. Focus is needed on the teacher’s training because they need to cope with the students, who today with smartphones in their hands are sometimes more advanced and informed than their teachers,” he said. The government has also sanctioned 9,623 new teachers’ posts.
Sisodia also proposed to equip every classroom with a CCTV camera, which would be linked with the Internet, so that not only officials but parents could also monitor the classroom activities. For this Rs.100 crore was allocated.
Education was allotted Rs.10,690crore which is 23 percent of the total Delhi budget for 2016-17.
He also raised concern over consistent drop in the share of education by the central government.
School students were invited to the assembly on Monday to see proceedings as Sisodia presented the budget.