The decision of the State Government to approve an outlay of Rs59.71 crore for programmes under the Union Government’s Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) for 2012-13, will go a long way in quality and infrastructure improvement in the state’s education sector, felt Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor.
Under the RMSA scheme 75 per cent of the funding will be done by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, said Tharoor in a press release here the other day. The important objectives of the scheme, which was launched in March 2009, is to improve physical facilities, quality enhancement and social equity.
The Rs59.71 crore can be put to effective use by the State Government to make significant improvements in the government secondary schools in the state that are lying neglected over the years, for one reason or the other.
It would help raise the level of facilities and other parameters in these schools so as to make them attractive and thereby check the flow of students to private management schools offering better facilities, the minister said.
The scheme envisages making available additional class rooms, laboratories, libraries, arts and crafts room, toilet blocks, drinking water provision and residential blocks for teachers in remote areas. Appointment of additional teachers, focus on Science, Mathematics and English education, in-service training of teachers, etc will also be attendant to by the scheme. Some of the important equity interventions are special enrolment drive for weaker sections, appointment of more female teachers and setting up of more toilet blocks for girls.
The present outlay for the state envisages sanctioning of 560 teacher posts and upgradation of 112 schools by addition of classes nine and 10. Each of these 112 schools will also get an additional post of a clerk and a laboratory assistant.
An annual grant of Rs75,000 each for 1,141 high schools and Rs10.49 crore for teacher training have also been sanctioned. Rs14.7 crore has been sanctioned for ‘exposure trips’ for students and teachers. While Rs1.6 lakh students would get Rs200 each, 7,000 teachers would get Rs2,000 each for exposure trips within the state.
For exposure trips outside the state, 5,000 teachers would get Rs20,000 each.
Schools in each revenue district would get Rs3 lakh each for organising a science fair, a craft mela and a book fair. An amount of Rs14 lakh has been sanctioned for instituting guidance and counselling facilities to RMSA schools.
An establishment cost of Rs1.2 crore would also form part of the package.