Chennai: Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Tuesday announced starting new primary schools, upgrading of school and allocation of Rs 60 crore for school infrastructure, besides free rain coats, boots and socks for students of hilly regions.
She said five primary schools would be started, three primary schools would be upgraded to middle schools and 19 middle schools to high schools. New classrooms and other infrastructure for the upgradation of schools would be created at an estimate of Rs 28 crore.
In the last five years, the state government had spent Rs 4,166 crore to build additional classrooms, toilets, drinking water facilities, compound walls, laboratories, libraries, vocational class rooms, computer rooms and repair works. For this academic year, Rs 60 crore had been allocated, she told the Assembly through a statement under rule 110.
Families affected by floods last year were given houses at Perumbakkam and Ezhil Nagar and new schools would be started for their convenience in the two areas. Raincoats, boots and socks would be given to students of hilly regions. Maths kit, science kit and map drawing training papers would be given for government school students at an estimate of Rs 46 crore. Computer coaching centres will come up at 555 schools for the benefit f 40,000 students, she said.
SABL cards would be distributed to 7,000 schools in ten districts to teach the students in an easy method. Bio-metric attendance would be introduced at an expense of Rs 45 crore, colourful drawings related to lessons would be painted in classroom walls and competitions would be held to create awareness among children. Virtual class rooms would be set up in schools to ensure uniform and quality education to students and they would come up in 770 schools in the first phase, the Chief Minister said. The cash award for best teachers would be increased from Rs 5000 to Rs 10,000, she added.
