Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday announced the setting up of a law university in the national capital and said the work for Delhi Skills and Entrepreneurship University has begun, as he presented the city government's budget for 2021-22. The work on a sports university will also begin this year, he said.
Presenting the budget in the Delhi Assembly, Sisodia allocated Rs 16, 377 crore towards education for the next financial year.
“In the field of higher and technical education, the Delhi Skills and Entrepreneurship University has started its work. Sports University will also initiate its activities this year.
"The Delhi government is also preparing to open a New Delhi Law University for students wishing to study law in the future. This will provide new opportunities to students wishing to make a career in the field of law,” the deputy CM said.
He added that the national capital has witnessed an increase of 36.42 per cent in the seats for higher education and 66.44 per cent in technical education.
Sisodia said the construction of the East campus of Guru Gobind Singh IP University is expected to be complete by May this year, which will further raise the intake capacity in higher and technical education.
“The new campus of Ambedkar University in Dhirpur and Rohini would be completed by September 2023 which shall increase the intake capacity of students by 8500," he said.
To improve English communication skills amongst the youth, the Directorate of Higher Education also proposed a scheme for students who have completed schooling.
Through this scheme, the students will be able to enhance their English speaking skills which will help them seek employment or secure admission in higher education institutions abroad.
Sisodia said that the scheme will be implemented in collaboration with international agencies which offer English-speaking courses.
"In addition to focus on spoken English, there will also be a focus on body language and personal development. About 5 to 6 lakh students are expected to benefit under this scheme through regular classroom education and self-learning modules in a period of three months," he said.
To fully implement the National Education Policy, the deputy CM suggested that the “50 years old” Delhi School Education Act 1973 and the “100 years old” Delhi University Act 1922 will have to be changed.
“Both these laws are not aligned to the ethos of the new education policy. We have requested the Central government to revise the provisions of the Delhi University Act and have also started working on the New Delhi School Education Act for Delhi,” he added.
This fiscal year, the Directorate of Higher Education will continue to provide guarantees on education loans of up to Rs 10 lakhs to students who have passed 10th and 12th standard from Delhi.
The government will also continue its scheme of giving up to 100 per cent of the fees as fellowship to the children of families which earn less than 6 lakh per annum, he said.