Central scheme seeks to revamp 846 schools in Maharashtra

Representation pic

In a bid to bring qualitative change in them, 846 schools in Maharashtra will undergo a complete transformation. These are among the 15,000 schools selected for the PM Shri Scheme, which has been planned to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The schools participating in the scheme are run by the government and local bodies. The Centre will contribute 60 per cent of expenditure while the state will contribute the rest. Each school will have a budget of Rs 1.88 crore for five years. The second phase will cover another 800 schools. The state cabinet approved the proposal on Tuesday.

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The method

Under the scheme, the learning in the schools will be experience-based, and assessment will rely on parameters such as improvement of students' thought processes and application of knowledge that is gained in day-to-day life. The school alumni will also be invited to educate students through a prescribed syllabus and career planning. Children who drop out will be readmitted and made part of the mainstream.

Focal points

The work of improvement will have six areas of interest - the syllabus, teaching and assessment; admission and basic infrastructure; human resources and leadership; an all-inclusive method; satisfaction of beneficiaries; and management, supervision and administration. A state-level committee headed by the school education minister will implement and monitor the scheme that will also have the district committees involved.

Cheating-free board exams

The school education department will implement a plan to prevent cheating in SSC and HSC examinations. The deputy chief minister's secretary, Shrikar Pardeshi, made a presentation based on a pattern implemented successfully in Nanded, where incidents of cheating have been brought down significantly in the past decade.

The education commissioner will head the mission, with active coordination from the district collectors. Education officers, district collectors, district police chiefs and heads of district local bodies have been asked to create awareness about the scheme. The sensitive exam centres will have cameras installed, and the police force put in service with adequate strength. Unauthorised people will not be allowed within a 50-metre radius, and photocopy shops in the vicinity will be closed. The administration has been asked to take action to prevent large gatherings near exam centres by invoking Section 144 of the Code Of Criminal Procedure.