Delhi Govt shortlists 75 ‘CM Shri Schools’ — Here’s what sets them apart

Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood said on June 19 that the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the national capital has provisionally shortlisted schools for the 75 newly announced ‘CM Shri Schools’. These schools are expected to become operational in the coming weeks, Sood said.

“Most of the CM Shri Schools have been shortlisted. These schools will start functioning soon, and preparations to operationalise them are currently underway,” Sood said.

Sood said a number of existing government schools are being upgraded and developed into CM Shri Schools. The Directorate of Education has already initiated the recruitment process for teaching and leadership positions in these schools.

The Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in the national capital after 27 years by defeating the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal in the assembly polls held in February this year. Remember, public school education has also been a focus of the previous AAP government in Delhi

In a circular issued on June 5, the department invited applications from teachers, Post Graduate Teachers (PGTs), Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs), Primary Teachers (PRTs), and other teaching staff, having at least five years before they retire.

Another circular issued on June 10 opened applications for principals and vice-principals who wish to transfer to the new schools, with the same retirement conditions.

What is special about CM Shri schools?

The CM Shri Schools initiative is an education reform launched by the Chief Minister Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government in its 2025–26 budget. It builds on the existing PM Shri model from the Centre.

An official quoted by the news agency PTI said these upcoming schools are designed to be sustainable and environmentally friendly, operating as zero-waste and solar-powered campuses.

“These schools will have AI-enabled libraries, smart classrooms equipped with Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) tools, smartboards, and biometric attendance systems,” the official said.

The schools will also feature robotics laboratories to foster interest in the field among students, he added.

According to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s Delhi Budget speech, a corpus of ₹100 crore has been allocated for setting up these schools.

Inspired by PM Shri
 

CM Shri schools are model government schools upgraded under a scheme similar to the Centre’s PM Shri (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India), which aims to provide exemplary National Education Policy ‑ 2020 aligned education.

The Budget

The Delhi government initially announced 60 CM Shri schools in March 2025, with ₹100 crore allocated. Later, the number was raised to 75 schools, which were to be operational within a year.

Key Features

-The schools will undergo an infrastructure overhaul, including facilities for smart boards, AI tools, robotics, labs for science, computers, languages, and renovated classrooms.

-The curriculum in these schools will be in accordance with NEP 2020.

-The Directorate of Education has already initiated the recruitment process for teaching and leadership positions in these schools.