Gujarat Finance Minister (FM) Kanubhai Desai presented the Rs 2,43,965 crore budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 in the State Assembly on March 3. An amount of Rs 34,884 crore has been allocated for the education department.
FM Desai, who presented the budget, stated that the state government is committed to raising the level of education through structured and high-quality infrastructure.
He stated that a new national education policy for the empowerment of children and youth has been developed. According to him, the policy prioritises research and innovation, as well as skill development and employment, while also ensuring gender equality and school enrollment. Infrastructure, capabilities, smart classrooms, digital learning, and laboratories will be the focus of the policy.
An amount of Rs 1,188 crore will be spent on the School of Excellence Project from the total allocation. The Minister said that under this project, infrastructure facilities of various schools in the state will be improved to cater to the demands of students.
The Gujarat government has launched an intensive campaign for the construction of new rooms in schools. Work on 2,500 rooms is currently in progress and the target is to build 10,000 new rooms next year. A provision of Rs 937 crore from the amount of Rs 34,884 crore of the education department has been made for this, the minister announced.
According to the budget announcement, the government will establish 50 Gyan Shakti Residential Schools based on social participation to educate 1 lakh students and provide high-quality education to the state’s talented students on a residential basis. A provision of Rs 90 crore has been made for this scheme.
A provision of Rs 662 crore has been made under the Right to Education Act for students seeking admission to private schools in the state.