In a significant move, the Delhi government has decided to install smart boards in government schools. This digital initiative will change the way lakhs of children gain education on a daily basis. This is one of the largest investments in the world, the Delhi Cabinet has sanctioned, 900 crores, to have nearly 21000 smart boards replace the blackboards in classrooms in government schools by 2029-30, and a smart board, is not just about technology, it makes a difference in bridging it in the opportunity gap, and it also makes a difference to the minds of young people.
For decades, the blackboard has been used in Indian classrooms, but in Delhi that has over 37,000 government school classrooms, only 799 had smart boards until now and that too have largely been equipped out of donations, not the government. That’s less than 2.1%!
The new initiative will transform this story so much so that 18,996 smart boards will be deployed in five phases, and another 2,466 will be already in pipe-line in 75 CM Shri schools.
Here’s what makes smart board important in today’s classroom:
- Interactive Learning: Videos, animations, and interactive quizzes can be used with the help of these boards making the lessons much more interesting, and simple to comprehend.
- Personalised Education: Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the smart boards will support experiential and personalised learning, catering to different learning styles.
- AI and Robotics Ready: Delhi even has plans to continue the tradition of Gujarat with the introduction of AI-enabled smart boards and robotics labs and provide students with practical skills with new technologies of the future.
The most notable thing is the fact that the government is taking education very seriously through focusing on schools in localities like Najafgarh, Narela, Seemapuri, Mahavir Enclave and Kirari; areas which tend to be untouched when it comes to major reforms. It is a deliberate move to make sure that digital learning can no longer be a preserve of the elite but it is available in far corners of Delhi.
What the government is doing is more than placing hardware, a smart board in a class. It is about investing in the youth. The use of the new tools by teachers will be facilitated by a special teacher training module where they will find it possible to maximize the potential of the technology, whereby technology will indeed be promoting personalized teaching and learning.
This e-drive is an extension of a larger vision. Delhi aims to install 7,000 smart classrooms, 175 digital libraries, 100 APJ Abdul Kalam Language Labs teaching foreign languages proficiency in English, French, and German, by the year end. It implies greater resources, greater opportunities, and a more internationalist look ahead for the young people of Delhi.
The education leaders of Delhi have turned to other cities to be inspired. Take the example of Gujarat that has already installed more than 1.1 lakh smart classes even in the flood-prone districts. Through such success stories, Delhi is ready to jump forward to the future.
To parents and students, this is not merely a technological update but a commitment that the government schools will surely provide high-quality education, with a high degree of equity and digital freedom that students deserve to have in the 21st century. In the case of India, it is an example that may spawn other progressive changes in other states to grant all children a level playing field in the digital era, irrespective of their backgrounds.
Education Minister Ashish Sood of Delhi said “We are committed to taking quality education to every corner of Delhi, from Najafgarh to Kirari. This is the first major step towards making Delhi’s government schools better than private schools, not just in infrastructure, but in pedagogy and learning outcomes as well”
This shows the government of Delhi is looking forward to a future where students get quality education indifferent to the type of institute they are in. This is giving the students of Delhi government schools an assurance that their dreams matter and they can be future ready with the help of advanced classrooms.
Delhi Govt Schools to Get 21,000 Smart Boards by 2030
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