LUCKNOW: While the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Council made it mandatory to promote all students from Class 1-8 of Council schools to the next class without examinations through a notification, the UP Basic Education department has also signed a contract with IIT-Madras under project ‘Vidya Shakti’ to teach the students of government smart schools of Varanasi online.
The IIT Madras teachers would commence teaching the students of 100 government smart schools in Varanasi online initially as a pilot project. They will teach mathematics, science and English to the students. The project would provide jobs to around 100 people, said an official source.
According to official sources, the tie-up is part of the Yogi Adityanath government’s efforts to bring UP government schools on par with the convent schools running in the state. The state government initiated its efforts by sprucing up the infrastructure of government schools under Project Kayakalp and now all the facilities are being arranged to match the standards of smart schools. “Now we have been able to arrange smart classes in the majority of schools,” said basic education officer Arvind Pathak.
Pathak said that the contract with IIT-Madras would facilitate online classes by the IIT faculty for students of class 6-8 studying in Varanasi government schools. He said that the classes would run after the regular school timings. Pathak said that of the 100 schools selected in Varanasi to run the pilot project, 70 had the smart classes. “Rest 30 schools will soon be elevate to the standard of smart schools with the help of IIT-Madras which will appoint a local coordinator in each school covered under Project Vidya Shakti for technical support. This is how, at least, 100 people will get jobs and the expenses will be borne by IIT-Madras,” said Pathak.
Meanwhile, the notification issued to promote the students of UP Basic Education Council Schools is an annual affair as there is the provision of promoting children of Class 1-8 to the next class under the Right to Education Act. They cannot be failed under any circumstances.