The BMC plans to spend Rs3,497.82 crore on education in 2024-25, up from Rs3347.13 crore allocated in 2023-24 (budgetary estimate, BE). This means a hike of 4.5%, amounting to around Rs151 crore. However, the share of education in the overall expenditure has dropped from 6.17% to 5.83%.
Both the revenue expenditure, meant for regular expenses of the education department, as well as the capital expenditure, which is spent on new projects and infrastructure works, have seen upward revisions.
Education dept runs 943 primary and 248 secondary schools
The education department runs 943 primary and 248 secondary schools across the city that provide free-of-cost education to around 2.87 lakh students. It also funds 387 private schools catering to 1.04 lakh students.
Among the new initiatives announced are English-Marathi dictionaries for students in Classes 5-10 and teachers. An amount of Rs4.69 crore has been earmarked for the project. The civic body also intends to give grammar books to students of Classes 9 and 10 for all three language-subjects to improve their writing and conversation skills.
Innovative initiatives introduced
The budget also has an outlay of Rs4.5 crore to set up ‘Innovative Mathematics and Science Centres’ in primary sections of 25 schools. Currently, around 50 schools have these centres that facilitate a more hands-on learning of scientific concepts through various models and equipment.
The education department is awaiting dues of Rs5,945 crore in grants for the salaries of school staff from the state government. In the 2023-24 budget, the civic body had anticipated a revenue income of Rs477.77 crore and Rs164.39 crore from the state government, respectively, for primary and secondary schools. However, it only got around Rs65 lakh.
“The arrears have been accumulated over the past several years, as the state only releases 70-80% of the amount demanded by us,” said an official from the department.
