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Delhi government plans to establish 12 schools of applied learning, says education minister Atishi

Delhi will get 12 'Schools of Applied Learning' starting next year, focusing on the applicability of skills learned in coursework rather than rote learning, said Delhi Education Minister Atishi. 

Delhi government plans to establish 12 schools of applied learning, says education minister Atishi - adt
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First Published Mar 30, 2023, 4:10 PM IST

Delhi will now have 12 'Schools of Applied Learning' beginning next year, after 'Schools of Specialised Excellence,' focusing on applying skills learned in the curriculum rather than rote learning, said Delhi Education Minister Atishi on Thursday, March 30.   

The education minister also asserts that since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took office in the city, the education sector has received the highest budgetary allotment from the Delhi government. Recently, Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot presented the Delhi Budget, in which the AAP govt allocated Rs 16,575 crore for the education department for the academic year 2023-24, the highest among all sectors.

In an interview with PTI, AAP leader Atishi said, "Education sector has received the highest allocation in every budget since Arvind Kejriwal became Delhi's chief minister. In the first few years, the emphasis was on ensuring that infrastructure was in place, schools were clean, and teachers were properly trained, but now the focus is on how education has to happen in classrooms."

The government already has a model of Schools of Specialised Excellence in place, where students in grades nine and up can choose their grade of specialisation. STEM, performing arts, humanities, and higher 21st-century abilities are already available, Atishi said. 

"The School of Applied Learning (SoAL), a new school form, has been budgeted for the upcoming academic year. This school will run students from nursery to grade 12. 

The focus will be on regular disciplines and their applicability in the daily lives of students and the world around them," she explained. 

About the system, the minister said that education would be split into three parts: the primary year's program, the middle year's program, and the third part will concentrate on various skills that students can use to participate in the economy. In the coming year, twelve of these institutions will be established.

"These educational institutions will serve as role models for our kindergarten through grade 12 in the future years. We agree with the IB Board on how the programme can be application-based rather than rote learning-based until the eighth grade.

"From Grade 9, students will be able to participate and interact with leaders from various industries, so by the time they finish their education, they will not only be able to think about what it is they want to pursue, but they will have already had that exposure to a wide range of fields, industries, and businesses," she believes. 

Asking whether these schools can serve as an extension of the government's business blasters and entrepreneurship mindset curriculum.

In response, she said, "Many of these programmes have already been implemented." For example, our school's normal curricula are being supplemented piecemeal. From nursery to class 12, the School of Applied Learning concentrates on creating an alternative and presenting that vision.

"What should a student be taught that is relevant in their real life rather than what is mugged up in the exam and then forgotten for the rest of their lives?" she asked.

The government has 12 new buildings for these schools, and after this pilot, current schools will be converted to SoAL as well. In Delhi, there will be two types of schools: the School of Specialised Excellence and the School of Applied Learning, according to Atishi. 

(With inputs from PTI)

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