Delhi cabinet clears ₹900cr plan for 21,000 smart classes in 5 yrs
The government plans to add 21,412 smart classrooms in a phased manner by 2029-30. Of these, 4,466 classrooms will be ready by the end of this year, and approximately 4,000 classrooms will be added each subsequent year.
The Delhi cabinet on Tuesday approved a ₹900 crore project to develop over 21,000 smart classrooms, upgrade school infrastructure, and roll out a dedicated teacher training programme in government schools over the next five years. The initiative is the first major education reform by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government since it came to power in February.
The project, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, was cleared at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Rekha Gupta. Officials said it aims to bring Delhi government schools on par with their private counterparts through improved infrastructure and digital learning tools.
Briefing reporters at the Delhi Secretariat, education minister Ashish Sood said that of the 37,778 classrooms currently in use in government schools, only 799 — or 2.1% — are equipped with smart boards. “These were mostly installed through CSR initiatives, not through government funding,” he said.
To bridge this gap, the government plans to add 21,412 smart classrooms in a phased manner by 2029-30. Of these, 4,466 classrooms will be ready by the end of this year, and approximately 4,000 classrooms will be added each subsequent year.
“The Delhi cabinet has approved sweeping reforms in the education sector during its 10th cabinet meeting, setting the stage for transformation under the NEP framework. A comprehensive smart classroom expansion plan will be rolled out. We will begin with 2,446 smart blackboards across 75 CM Shri Schools — that part of the project is already in advanced stages — and then take it forward to an additional 18,966 classrooms,” Sood said.
Smart classrooms will be developed for students of classes 9 to 12, and will feature digital blackboards, internet-enabled teaching aids, interactive screens, and learning management tools to support experiential and personalised learning, in line with NEP 2020’s goals.
According to Delhi’s latest Economic Survey, the city’s Directorate of Education currently runs 1,053 schools, with 1.8 million students and 70,111 teachers.
The education minister also announced the launch of a dedicated teacher training module to support the transition to digital classrooms. “This marks the first major step in our mission to make Delhi’s government schools better than private ones,” he said.
Targeting the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration, Sood said, “Between 2014 and 2024, only 799 classrooms were equipped with smart blackboards — and that too through donations. Meanwhile, they claimed an education revolution by building structures in select areas. We are focused on delivering quality education in every corner of Delhi.”
Responding to criticism from the Opposition about reduced education spending, Sood said the government had prioritised outcomes over optics.
“We didn’t slash the education budget, we focused it. Others posed for photos in front of buildings; we’re investing where it matters — in classrooms and teachers,” he said.
