The Delhi Education Minister, Atishi, has announced that the city will be getting 12 new ‘Schools of Applied Learning’ from the coming year. These schools will focus on the applicability of skills learned in the curriculum, rather than just rote learning. The Delhi government has allocated Rs 16,575 crore for the education department for the year 2023-24, the highest among all sectors. Atishi stated that education has received the highest allocation in every budget since Arvind Kejriwal became the chief minister of Delhi. The model of Schools of Specialised Excellence already exists, where students from class 9 onwards get to choose their grade of specialisation. The new Schools of Applied Learning will run from nursery to class 12 and will focus on the applicability of regular disciplines in daily life. Education will be divided into three parts – primary years programme, middle years programme, and a third part focussed on different skills that can be utilised for the students’ participation in the economy. Twelve of these schools will be set up in the coming year, and they will be a model for KG to class 12 education in the future. The government has 12 new buildings for these schools, and after this pilot, existing schools will also be converted into Schools of Applied Learning.
