6,000 'model schools' to come up in India

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in India on Thursday approved setting up of 6,000 Model Schools on the lines of Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools).

In the first phase of the scheme, 2,500 Model Schools will be set up through the state governments in the Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs), reports IANS.

"A model school will have infrastructure and facilities, at least of the standard as in a Kendriya Vidyalaya and with stipulations on pupil-teacher ratio, information, communication and technology (ICT) usage, holistic educational environment, appropriate curriculum and emphasis on output and outcome," a CCEA statement said.

The scheme aims to have at least one good quality secondary school in every block. These schools will try out innovative curriculum and pedagogy, and to be a model in infrastructure, curriculum, evaluation and school governance.

The state government concerned will provide land for the schools and decide the medium of instructions. However, special emphasis will be given on teaching of English and spoken English.

The schools will have classes from Class six to higher secondary level. There will a continuous evaluation of the working of the schools by the state agencies and an independent agency may be assigned the task of monitoring the scheme, including the progress of construction of schools.

The CCEA said financial requirement for setting up 2,500 schools during the 11th Five Year Plan has been estimated as Rs 9321 crore, of which estimated central share is Rs 7,457 crore.

While the central government will fund 75 per cent of the financial needs, the state governments will take care of the rest during the 11th five-year plan and 50:50 during the next five-year plan.

The scheme will be implemented from the current financial year. This, however, will not to be implemented, till the poll process is over in six states—Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Mizoram.