West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday, 29 July announced a ₹296 crore corpus under the 'composite school grant fund' for 80,375 state-run and state-aided schools across West Bengal, in a move aimed at reversing what his government described as a prolonged decline in public school standards.

What the Fund Covers

The grant, announced at a press conference at the state secretariat Nabanna in Kolkata, is intended to develop and upgrade infrastructure and academic quality in government-run and government-aided schools. Adhikari framed the allocation as a structural correction after years of alleged underfunding.

"During the previous government, academic standards in the school education system had deteriorated drastically because of the regime's reluctance to allot adequate funds for state-run and state-aided schools," the Chief Minister said, in an implicit reference to the Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) administration.

Two-Department Model and NEP Alignment

Adhikari said the new state government has restructured education governance into two separate departments — one for school education and one for higher education — to allow focused attention on each tier. He added that the government intends to align its reforms with the National Education Policy (NEP), combining modern pedagogy with Indian cultural values.

"Our goal is to improve the quality of the education system by working in agreement with the Union Government," he said.

Digital Infrastructure and Teacher Training

The Chief Minister outlined several digital initiatives as part of the school modernisation drive. Audio-visual content is being integrated into the West Bengal education portal, while teacher training is being conducted through the Diksha platform. According to Adhikari, three lakh teachers have already registered on the Diksha portal.

He also announced plans to include parents in school management committees, describing this as a step toward community-driven governance of public schools.

Centre-State Coordination

Adhikari said Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi is expected to visit West Bengal shortly for discussions on reviving the state's education system. He added that the state government has already provided land in every district for the establishment of Kendriya Vidyalayas, signalling a closer alignment with Central education infrastructure plans.

"The government will move forward on the path of development step by step," Adhikari said, projecting a phased approach to school reform.

Broader Context

The announcement comes amid a broader political transition in West Bengal, with the new government seeking to differentiate itself from its predecessor on governance and public service delivery. Education has emerged as an early flashpoint, with the administration repeatedly citing the previous government's record on school funding as a baseline for reform. Whether the ₹296 crore allocation translates into measurable improvements in learning outcomes will be closely watched by educators and parents across the state.