Education Minister Adimulapu Suresh on Tuesday said infrastructure development works were initiated in 15,700 schools across the State in the first phase of ‘Mana Badi-Nadu Nedu’ programme, and so far works worth ₹2,570 crore had been completed.
At a press conference, the Minister said the first phase would end in March. A sum of ₹245 crore was saved in the purchase of fans, furniture, green boards and other material by opting for reverse tendering.
The second phase of the programme would be launched on April 1. The idea of the programme is to develop infrastructure facilities in 45,000 State-run schools in three phases, focussing on 10 main components, he said.
The first phase, launched in June last year, would cover 15,700 schools with allocated funds of ₹3,669 crore. Works related to sanitation and ceiling fans had been fully completed, while cupboards had been purchased for 66% of the schools, 89% of the required green boards had been bought, 46% of the painting works had been done, 39% of the works related to drinking water supply were completed and 50% of the required smart TV sets put in place, he added.
For the first time, the government chose to do away with the role of contractors and instead, opted for a novel ‘social contract’ system by engaging members of the parents’ committee in making payments for the purchase of fans, furniture and green boards. Maintaining complete transparency, the material was purchased keeping in view the fact this was public money being spent, he said.
The Minister said an action plan had been drawn up to complete the second phase of the programme by November this year. Quality in the material being bought and the works being implemented was key. The Minister said that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy wanted the charm of the new-look schools to remain intact for at least 10-15 years. Tiles and granite was being used for flooring of the classrooms, he said, adding that the education sector was one of the top priorities of the YSR Congress government.
Mr. Suresh said detailed information of the works implemented under Nadu-Nedu was available in the public domain. The scheme was one of its kind in the country and it had also attracted the attention of the Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia who had expressed his desire to visit A.P. to study the educational model here, the Minister added.
Speaking about admissions in Degree colleges, the Minister said there was a 40% rise in admissions this year in the 1,336 government, private and aided colleges in the State. The admissions, done online this year, had enrolled 2.60 lakh students this year, he said.
