Vijayawada: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday directed officials of the school education department to finish revamping schools under the ‘Mana Badi – Nadu Nedu’ scheme by the end of July, before schools reopen on August 3.
Under the first phase of the scheme, 15,715 government schools will be renovated, and fans, blackboards, water purifiers, cupboards and other furniture have been bought for this. Schools will get nine facilities including compound walls, toilets, and English labs. Some of the new furniture was brought to the Chief Minister’s camp office on Wednesday, and he inspected it.
The State has opted for centralised procurement, and about Rs 890 crore is needed for the materials. Tenders were finalized for all items other than sanitary ware, and Rs 144.8 crore was saved through reverse tendering.
As many as 3 lakh benches for Classes 1 to 6, and 2.1 lakh benches for Classes 7 to 10 have been ordered, besides 89,340 tables and chairs for teachers, 16,334 cupboards, 72,596 green chalkboards, and 1,57,150 ceiling fans.
Reviewing the progress on the scheme earlier, Jagan told officials of the department to prepare Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on maintaining quality when renovating schools and directed them to involve engineering assistants in Village and Ward Secretariats in the exercise. He said there should be no compromise on quality.
Stating that the Nadu-Nedu programme is close to his heart, Jagan asked the officials to ensure the opinion that government schools are of poor quality is replaced by the conception that government schools are places of quality education. The officials said Rs 533 crore is available with Parents’ Committees.
The work has been sped up since the lockdown norms were eased. Asking officials to ensure Jagananna Goru Mudda has the same menu and quality in schools across the State, Jagan insisted that there be no delay in payment of bills.
A toll-free number should be set up in all schools for students and parents to register complaints with the government on the amenities, he added, and stressed that hygiene should be maintained in schools.
Jagan directed officials to appoint teachers based on the number of students in government schools, when the officials placed data before him on the proposed relocation of teachers to match the teacher-student ratio. Teachers may apply online for transfers after July 15.
“Due to the method followed in 2017, single teachers were allotted to 7,991 schools and most schools were shut. Decisions were then taken only to demoralize government schools and encourage private schools. The education in the government sector has suffered a lot,” the Chief Minister observed.
Pointing out that uniforms and books were not given even in October and November during the previous government’s tenure, he said efforts are being made to ensure books and uniforms are available to students on the day school reopens.
There should be a constant appraisal for students from Classes 6 to 10. He said that data on their performance should be available online, giving a detailed overview of the strengths and weaknesses of each student to take corrective measures.
Jagan told the officials to think innovatively to provide good education in government schools. They were also directed to develop a mobile app to clear students’ doubts through video calls. Minister for School Education Adimulapu Suresh, Principal Secretary (School Education), Rajsekhar, and other officials attended the review meeting.
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