15 govt schools in district to become centres of excellence

Come June and the work on elevating 15 government schools in Ernakulam as centres of excellence will shift to top gear.

The government has allocated ₹5 crore each for the 15 schools located in the district. The schools getting ready for a major facelift include Chendamangalam GHS; Pezhakkappilly GHSS; Fort Kochi GEMGHS, Veli; Perumbavur GHSS; Nayathod MGMHSS; Njarakkal GHSS; Thripunitura GGHSS; Edappally GHSS; Elamakkara GHSS; Vazhakulam South GHSS; Piravom GHSS; Cheruvattoor GMHSS; Puthenthod GHSS; Chengamanad GHS; and Kongorppilly GHS.

“The tender process for the project is almost over. We hope that work would begin in May,” said C.A. Santhosh, Deputy Director of Education, Ernakulam. MLAs in the 14 Assembly constituencies and the Anglo-Indian nominee in the Assembly from Ernakulam are supporting the initiative.

Master plan

The modernisation of schools is part of the government’s mission ‘Pothu Vidyabhasa Samrakshana Yajnam’ (protection of general education). Each school will prepare a master plan based on their specific needs and infrastructure requirements. The budget need not be limited to ₹5 crore. But the government will provide only ₹5 crore. The remaining amount should be raised through contributions from philanthropists, alumni and individuals interested in supporting the development of the schools.

The master plan prepared by Habitat will provide the details of the infrastructure upgrade required in each school. IT@ School will prepare a report on the IT and ICT infrastructure to be implemented in the schools. It will prepare the course module to be taught in digital classrooms. Each smart classroom will have laptops, projection facilities, broadband connection and sound system. Teachers will be given specialised training in handling classes in smart classrooms.

Each school will have improved toilet facilities in each floor to ensure easy access. The facility will be women-friendly. Some of the schools are planning to set up spacious cooking and dining facilities. Dedicated facilities will be ensured for rainwater harvesting and waste disposal.

Digitalised recording of attendance will be facilitated. Besides, a software will be developed for sending SMS alerts to the mobile phones of parents of students who are absent.

The school courtyard in most of the schools will be roofed and converted into an indoor stadium, facilitating training in games such as basket ball, volleyball and badminton.

Strengthening of the broadband network by offering internet at a higher speed will be one of the major requirements in each school. The government hopes to conduct live classrooms linking hi-tech schools, where experts will interact with students online.