Bengal school education budget up from Rs 829 cr in 2011 to Rs 10,000 cr in 2024-25: Official

Kolkata, Nov 21 (PTI) The school education budget in West Bengal has gone up from Rs 829 crore in 2011 to over Rs 10,000 crore in 2024–25, a senior state education official said on Friday.

Principal Secretary of the School Education and Higher Education Department, Binod Kumar, said the rise represents a structural transformation enabling large-scale technology upgrades and modernisation across the education system.

Speaking at the ICC Innovation Conclave, Kumar said, "Under this government, the school education budget has risen from Rs 829 crore in 2011 to more than Rs 10,000 crore in 2024–25." He added that the increase comes at a critical moment when alignment between government, academia, industry and capital is essential to bridge persistent skill gaps among graduates and postgraduates.

The IAS officer described this dramatic rise "as a structural shift that has enabled large-scale technology upgrades and modernisation across the education system." He added that the state's long-term strategy is already taking shape.

"Aligned with the National Education Policy, the State University Policy 2023 sets a clear 2035 vision focused on making West Bengal a leader in innovation. We have expanded ICT implementation across schools, introduced Atal Tinkering Labs to promote hands-on scientific learning, and deployed AI-driven smart classrooms with individual student clickers that ensure full participation, generate detailed learning datasets, and enable personalised instruction, assessment and homework design," he said.

Kumar informed that with 11 private universities already operational and more awaiting notification, West Bengal is marking the shift to a facilitative model aimed at positioning the state at the forefront of technology integration and future-ready human capital development.

The event featured distinguished speakers including Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission; Deepak Bagla, President, West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education and Vice Chancellor, Jadavpur University; Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, and the Raja Ramanna Chair Professor, Jadavpur University. Anupam Basu, apart from Kumar and others. PTI SUS MNB