Mangaluru: The state govt has sanctioned three new Maulana Azad Model English Schools for the Dakshina Kannada district. In all, the govt has sanctioned 50 schools across the state.
According to officials, the schools coming up in Kadaba taluk, Ullal, and Mallur would start functioning from the next academic year. Currently, there are eight model schools in the district, including five in Mangaluru taluk alone.
Minority welfare department district officer Jinendra Kotian said each school will have a sanctioned strength of 300 candidates. "With the new sanction, the district will have 11 Maulana Azad schools. Currently, 863 students are studing in these schools," Kotian said, adding each class, starting from class six, can admit 60 candidates. Around 75% of seats have been reserved for students from minority communities like Muslim, Christian, Jain, Buddhism, Sikh, and Parsi. Apart from this, 25% of seats will be reserved for students from SC/ STs. Girl students will get 50% reservation in each class. The students will be provided with free English-medium education, books, uniforms, mid-day meals, and other govt facilities.
Fazal Kodimbala, former taluk panchayat member from Kadaba, said considering the significant number of students from minority communities from, across 42 villages, the demand for a Maulana Azad English-medium school was sought during the Janaspandana meeting at Kadaba a few months ago. Now, the school has been approved, along with a headteacher.
Sources added that 350 teaching positions have been created, with seven positions for each school, and orders have been issued regarding this.