Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana strongly condemned the allegation of Jana Sena Party Political Affairs Committee chairman Nadendla Manohar that Rs 4,500 crore would be spent on implementation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) syllabus in government schools. Addressing the media at Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan project office on Friday, he highlighted the reforms introduced by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in school and college education to empower students.
“There is no financial commitment in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the State government with IB. Teams from the IB will conduct a study in the State regarding the implementation of the IB curriculum in government schools for about six months,” he clarified.
Refuting the allegations of Manohar, Botcha said, “The introduction of the IB syllabus in a staggering 45,000 State schools will benefit lakhs of students. It will also ensure that every student meets the international quality standards, besides benefiting the underprivileged sections. The IB and the AP government will jointly issue pass certificates to students to ensure that they are recognised internationally. The total project will cost Rs 149 crore and its objectives will be realised within five years.”
The IB syllabus has already been introduced in select schools in Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi and other States. It has been proposed to set up IB labs across the State, ensuring simultaneous access for all schools, he explained.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to offer quality education to the underprivileged students, the minister said, “The investment made on education will ensure development of human resources, besides becoming a valuable asset for the underprivileged students.”
With the implementation of Nadu-Nedu and other reforms to develop infrastructure and educational standards in government schools, the students are now able to compete with those from corporate schools.
Initiatives like distribution of tablets loaded with Byju’s content to eighth class students, introduction of TOEFL training from class three at a nominal cost of Rs 7.50, digital classrooms, interactive flat panels and others will immensely benefit students of the State, he elaborated.
Impressed by the educational reforms being implemented by the AP government, several other States in the country have evinced interest in replicating them for the empowerment of their students, he added.School Education Principal Secretary Praveen Prakash, and other senior officials were present.