| Funds willing, BMC schools to get swanky | ||
| The idea is to spruce up buildings, improve hygiene standards, match up to pvt schools | ||
| Mihika Basu | ||
| Mumbai, October 28: IN an attempt to match up to facilities and standards of private institutions, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning a major makeover of all its schools that will include sweeping structural as well as some systematic changes.
“If we want to change the mindset of people towards municipal schools, we need to bring in structural changes in addition to improving the quality of education,” said the man behind the ambitious plan, Mangesh Satamkar, BMC education committee chairman. |
The drive will include demolition and reconstruction of some of the buildings—depending upon the existing facilities — with the BMC promising to make them as swanky as private schools. The BMC is also planning to convert 49 secondary schools into boarding schools where students from economically backward families will get an opportunity to live, eat and study under one roof.
These measures, the BMC hopes, will check the number of dropouts. “We believe that such an initiative will bring in 100 per cent results from our students,” said Satamkar.
Despite the fact that BMC allots Rs 30 crore to Rs 40 crore each year for regular repair work, school buildings have not undergone any major structural changes so far.
“Some of the buildings which are in a very bad condition can also prove to be dangerous for the children and we need to take precautionary steps to prevent an accident,” emphasised Satamkar. Moreover, he admits that it’s the poor hygiene standards and the dilapidated condition of some of the schools that prevent parents from admitting their children here.
As a first step, nine or 10 contractors will be appointed to start working on the interiors and exteriors of school buildings which includes construction of lawns and beautification of existing ones. Among the 179 schools selected, 35 will be covered in the first phase, while the rest will be covered in the next four to five years. Steps will also be taken to relocate waste-dumping grounds near some of the schools.
The BMC also wants to introduce new uniforms for the over 5-lakh children studying in its schools. In fact, the new uniforms will be supplied by the BMC itself. “This scheme will require about Rs 23 crore and can be implemented within a month as soon as the authorities approve the funds,” added Satamkar.
Though many of these proposals have been lying with the municipal authorities since 2005, Satamkar is confident that all of them will now be cleared in the next meeting of the education committee to be held in the first week of November.
MAKEOVER PLANS
The BMC has chosen 179 schools for the revamp, of which 35 will be covered in the first phase. Plans include:
* Demolition and reconstruction of some of the old buildings
* Converting 49 secondary schools into boarding schools for students from poor families
* Relocate waste-dumping grounds near schools
* Introduce new uniforms for over 5-lakh children
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