Delhi Government Falls Short Of Target In Setting Up Classroom Libraries
Class ROOm Libraries


The Delhi government has set up only 4,178 classroom libraries in primary sections of schools as against an annual target of 6,300, according to its Outcome Budget 2017-18 tabled on Wednesday.

The Outcome Budget tabled by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also mentioned that the Directorate of Education had set up 359 vocational labs to encourage vocational education in schools this year against the annual target of 250.

A whopping one lakh teachers were trained until December, 2017 as against 47,000 teachers last year by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), the report said, adding that the numbers included teachers availing training more than once.

Under the Directorate of Higher Education, the report said, a total of 8,603 students were admitted to 12 Delhi University colleges fully funded by the Delhi government as against 7,392 admitted in 2016-17.

While 411 research papers were published in higher education institutions during 2017-18 (till December, 2017) under all colleges as against 524 research papers last year and 994 research papers were published during the period in technical education institutions as against 1,273 last year.

Under the Directorate of Education, the report said, "In the current academic year, a total of 24,500 students belonging to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Disadvantaged Groups (DG) have been admitted in un-aided private schools through the online lottery process as against 20,000 students last year." 

The report indicated that all education departments -- the Directorate of Education, Directorate of Higher Education and Directorate of Training and Technical Education -- were "on track" (70 per cent progress as expected by December, 2017).

The report mentioned that under the Directorate of Training and Technical Education, 4,068 students were newly admitted in the polytechnics during 2017-18 as against 3,580 in 2016-17.

"3,087 students graduated during 2017-18 as compared to 2,500 in 2016-17. A good response was received at the 11 incubation centres set up by the Delhi government in its various higher/technical institutions, and 76 start-up companies have been initiated by students/alumni/faculty till December 2017 as against an annual target of 60," it said.