Over Rs 2,000 lakh released for 259 Smart Schools

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, July 20

The School Education Department has released two instalments of Rs 1,596.02 lakh and Rs 484.41 lakh to refurbish 259 Government Senior Secondary Schools, which were recently converted to Smart Schools in the state.

While Rs 1,596 lakh was released to 199 Smart Schools situated in rural areas, Rs 484 lakh was provided to the schools based in urban areas.

Releasing these grants, the Director General, School Education (DGSE), has asked all schools to refurbish the look of these schools with colour coding, gate symmetry, landscaping, construction of toilets for boys and the repair work in the schools.

Last month, the School Education Department announced to convert 259 government schools to smart schools in the state with a refurbished look and raise the standard of education in the government schools.

While there would be a special colour coding for the building of these schools to set them apart from other government schools, the School Education Department has a special uniform dress code for students of these smart schools in the state.

In these English medium schools equipped with digital monitors, high-speed Internet facilities, projectors, tablets, state-of-the-art laboratories and infrastructure for sports activities, the students of these schools will wear maroon and cream coloured clothes.

Besides these cosmetic changes, the teachers of these schools would have to undergo special training to improve their teaching skills, said sources in the Education Department.

In a meeting with the principals of all these Smart Schools in the state, Krishan Kumar, Secretary, School Education Department, on July 12 conveyed them to ensure that these schools make their best efforts to enrol maximum number of students and all students opt for English medium for their learning.

The schools have been conveyed to start the English medium with immediate effect and fulfil all vacant posts of teacher.

The result of the students of these schools should be 100 per cent and the school authorities need to use all innovative methods with the help of local residents to give a gleaming look to these schools and also provide qualitative education to all students, said the secretary to all principals of Smart Schools.

As the government schools are known for dirty toilets, disrupted power and water supply, the schools have been conveyed to give special attention to the cleaning of toilets. Work on the remodelling of the entry gates of these schools will start soon and the new name of these schools has been decided as Government Senior Secondary Smart School.

Starting with 259 schools, the Education Department has plan to turn 2,800 government-run primary and secondary schools in the state into smart schools in 2018-19.

Teachers to improve teaching skills

Besides these cosmetic changes, the teachers of these schools would have to undergo special training to improve their teaching skills, said sources in the Education Department.