A proposal to distribute Rs 10 lakh for the writing and recital of Bhagavad Gita shlokas in schools to give students a better understanding of the “Indian philosophy” is included in the draft budget for the municipal schools in Ahmedabad.
The school committee Wednesday presented the draft budget to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation school board.
The Rs 1,067 crore expenditure that was presented by the primary school committee last week was increased by Rs 4 crore to become Rs 1,071 crore in the draft budget for primary education in municipal schools in Ahmedabad City.
According to the proposal, an additional Rs 10 lakh has been set aside for a “mother tongue readiness programme” that will support the goals of the National Education Policy 2020.
The draft budget states that Rs 10 lakh has been set aside for the writing and recital of Bhagavad Gita shlokas in schools for 2023–2024 in order to give students a better understanding of the “Indian philosophy,” noting that the Bhagavad Gita is the “mainstay of all ideological perspectives” in India.
Additionally, the draft budget includes Rs 15 lakh for a yearly festival for children with disabilities at the school board level and Rs 1 crore for the installation of solar panels in schools with high energy usage.
Another Rs 10 lakh has been provisioned for the draft budget for providing vocational training to parents of children studying at Signal Schools.
Prior to Class 8 completion, the primary education committee had already proposed working with Anant National University to offer skill development training to Signal School students. With a sanctioned budget of Rs 3 crore, the Signal School scheme was announced in the AMC School Board draft budget last year for out-of-school children throughout the city.
The draft budget has also proposed the formation of a core group of subject-wise expert teachers for training and literature development for teachers and students respectively.
The draft budget notes that it plans to develop a sports complex in School number 17 at Ellisbridge “to realise the dream of children of Ahmedabad to represent the city in Olympics 2036”.