About 1,149 government schools in the district are being renovated with modern facilities as part of the ‘Mana Badi Nadu-Nedu’ programme. The officials are busy meeting the deadline of August 15 for the completion of the works undertaken in the first phase of the programme.
According to District Education Officer (DEO) B. Lingeswara Reddy, 1,149 of the 4,111 government schools in Visakhapatnam district have been covered in the first phase, including schools under the purview of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA).
“The coronavirus pandemic has affected the pace of work which has been put on the fast track now. Works undertaken in 800 schools have been completed and the rest will be completed within the deadline. The second phase of works will start from August 16,” says Mr. Lingeswara Reddy. The DEO said that the government had allotted about ₹312 crore for the schools in the district. “This is a new chapter in the education sector. The schools have got new furniture, toilets with running water facilities, drinking water supply, complete electrification, paintings to adorn classrooms and English labs, compound walls and good kitchens,” he added.
As part of the project, the school walls and classrooms have been painted with murals, solar systems, parts of the human body, map of India among others. The boundary walls have pictures of cartoon characters and sports themes. “The municipal school in Madhura Nagar has been renovated with around ₹70 lakh. Apart from reburied infrastructure, the students have received bags, books at the beginning of the year. It will ensure a good learning ambience of students for sure,” says a teacher of the school.
Third wave
Parents are happy over the renovations of the schools. “Our children are now keen on going to the schools, thanks to the refurbished campuses. However, we are concerned to send our children to schools with the forecast of the third wave of the pandemic as experts are saying that it may affect the children,” said K. Sarada from Akkireddipalem, whose daughter and son studies in a government school.