Team Blitz India
PUNE: As part of the changes being made in the education sector according to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the state department of school education has decided to join all classes up to class 8, including lower secondary classes, to local self-government primary schools in Maharashtra in a bid to empower and upgrade them, and check dropout of students from these schools.
According to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education, it is the responsibility of the state government and local bodies to provide free education to all children aged six to 14 years. As per the information shared by the state department of school education, several steps have been taken to empower and improve the quality of schools.
Transportation facility will be provided for primary schools within 1 km from the child’s home, and upper primary schools within 3 km from the child’s home. As per the revised structure, the procedure for adding Class 5 to a school which has classes up to Class 4 and adding Class 8 to a school which has classes up to Class 7 has been prescribed. It has also been recommended that there should be combined schools of classes 1 to 8, 1 to 10, and 1 to 12 in the state.
Approval has also been given for upgradation of local government schools. As these schools have limited financial resources, additional teachers and physical facilities required for new schools, and upgradation or addition of classes will be provided.
The central government has started select ‘PM (Prime Minister) Shree’ schools in the country. In this, while choosing the schools, preference is given to government or local government schools with classes 1 to 10 or 12. Since the facilities are attached, while choosing the schools, the schools with classes 1 to 10 and 12 and the maximum number of such schools is considered important.
Teachers will be made available by adjusting those who are currently working and possess the required educational qualifications for that class. It will be necessary to strictly follow the prescribed procedure while making the said adjustment.
By protecting the salaries of teachers in the primary and secondary category according to educational qualifications, approval will be given to add the said category to the limit of basic vacancies. The state government has said that there is a possibility of increasing the number of students in schools of local self-government bodies in future by adding classes or starting new secondary classes.
