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Education

Municipal school budget to power revamp

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The Times of India            28.12.2013 

Municipal school budget to power revamp

AHMEDABAD: The chairman of the municipal school board, Jagdish Bhavsar, presented a budget of Rs 612.2 crore for the city. This year, the board has made an additional Rs 6.25 crore provisions for new programmes that have to be introduced in a few schools as part of an experiment.

To start with, the board has proposed to spend Rs 2.5 crore for a special 'Bala Project' in the fives zones of the city involving 25 schools. Under the project important spaces within the school premises will be turned into a space for learning - with such features as letters on walls and graphics explaining interesting facts and trivia. Even the play utilities will be educational. Teachers here will be given special teaching aides to help students visualize concepts.

The second project announced was the implementation of the 'Sakshar Ahmedabad Abhiyan' under which councilors will individually carry out the school enrolment mission. In another ambitious decision, CCTV cameras in 25 schools will be installed - a pilot project that was carried out in Delhi municipal schools.

The experiment will help in monitoring teachers in the schools. A budget of Rs 25 lakh is being earmarked for this purpose. Also as part of an experiment, children of standard VI and XIII will be taught to repair mobile phones and electronic gadgets. "A special mention in our budget is towards constructing a special 'girl's only' room in 25 schools in the city. The project will be extended to other schools as well in the following budget years," says Bhavsar.

Children will also be given martial art lessons. "This academic year we will set aside Rs 50 lakh to organize school tours for children to Kevadia Colony to show them the site where the world's tallest statue, of Sardar Patel, is going to be built," says Bhavsar.

 

With diaries, civic body to forge student-teacher interaction

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The  Indian Express              17.12.2013

With diaries, civic body to forge student-teacher interaction

Beginning this academic year, children studying in schools run by the South civic body will be provided with special school diaries along with their new books. The one-of-a-kind move makes South Municipal Corporation the only civic body to have undertaken such an initiative at the school level.

The diaries, titled Samvad, will be distributed to students of Classes I to V free of cost.

"You will find that children studying in private schools have school dairies. In corporation schools, it is unheard of. So, we thought of providing these diaries to students. Currently, there is no system of interaction between students, parents and teachers in municipal schools. Through these diaries, we hope to create a system," Satish Upadhyay, Chairman of Education Committee, South corporation, said.

The school diary will have information about school management committees, different welfare schemes for students and grading and assessment system.

"We even have a page on the 'no corporal punishment rule', so students who are subjected to physical punishments know where to complain," Upadhyay said.

Then there is space allocated to weekly division of class-wise syllabus. "Municipal schools don't follow any syllabus or rules. But, we have created syllabi for individual classes and printed it in the diaries, so that we can monitor the syllabus as well as pace of teaching," PRO of South corporation Mukesh Yadav said.

More than 3 lakh diaries have been printed and sent for distribution. At Rs 18.36 each, it has cost the civic body nearly Rs 65 lakh. The diaries also include a daily time table, a yearly calendar, an annual school calendar and a list of important phone numbers.

"Samvad means communication. Without Samvad, there can be no improvement. We hope, through this diary, to bridge gaps of communication between schools and parents," Yadav said.

 

PCMC plans semi-English divisions in 136 schools

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The Times of India            11.12.2013

PCMC plans semi-English divisions in 136 schools

PUNE: The school board of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) will start a division of standard I in the semi-English medium in each of the 136 municipal primary schools from June 2014 to boost enrolment. Science and mathematics will be taught in English while the remaining subjects will be taught in Marathi.

Board chairman Fazal Shaikh told TOI, "There is a growing tendency among parents to enrol their wards in English medium schools. There is a decline in the number of students taking admissions in the municipal primary schools. Hence, the board has decided to start one division of standard I in semi-English medium in all 136 municipal primary schools on an experimental basis. Teachers who have good command over English will teach the students in this division."

"If we get an overwhelming response to the initiative, we may start another division from the next academic year," Shaikh said.

There are problems like students not receiving free school uniforms, textbooks, notebooks, sweaters, shoes and other school items at the start of the academic year. Poor standard of education has also affected enrolment in civic schools.

Shaikh said the sports competitions at municipal primary schools for the 2013-14 academic year will continue till December 18. The competitions are being held in two categories - one for students of standards I to IV and second for students from standards V to VII.

Individual competitions will be held for boys and girls in 100m running, long jump and high jump. Team competitions will be held in kabaddi, kho-kho, lezhim, patriotic song singing and folk dance.

 


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