Nagpur: The education department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation is all set to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Akanksha Foundation (AF) to run six English medium schools from the next academic session in six assembly constituencies for 20 years. The department has already submitted a proposal in this regard to the standing committee meeting which will take final decision at its February 17 meeting.
The AF is a non-profit organization with a mission to build the largest network of innovative schools that empowers children to maximize their potential and that influences systemic reform. The foundation runs several Pune Municipal Corporation’s schools in Pune.
The foundation will bear 30% of expenditure on salaries to teaching and non-teaching staff and also provide teaching staff to schools. The NMC will provide other basic amenities and incur Rs2.66crore cost per annum, the proposal said and added that each school would have a capacity to enrol only 60 students and impart free education from KG-1 to Std X.
According to a senior official, the NMC, which has shut down 100 schools in the last 15 years, will use the buildings of 35 of those schools for running the English medium schools.
Sources in the department said it has also shortlisted assembly segment-wise six schools including: Nara Primary School in north Nagpur, Babulban Marathi Primary School in east Nagpur, Late Baburaraoji Bobde Marathi Primary School in south-west Nagpur, Ram Nagar Marathi School in west Nagpur, Rambhai Mhalgi Nagar Marathi Primary School in south Nagpur and Late Gopalrao Motghare (Khadan) Hindi Higher Secondary School in central Nagpur.
Of the six schools, the civic body school in Nara was closed down for want of students.
Students at the NMC-run schools hail from slums and poor families. More than 90% of these schools have Marathi as the medium of teaching. However, there is a growing demand from parents for English medium schools. Due to unaffordable fees, private English medium schools are beyond the reach of the children and their parents. So a need was felt for the NMC to run English schools.
Two more proposals including finalizing a firm to strengthen the South Sewerage zone in Laxmi Nagar, Hanuman Nagar, Dhantoli and Nehru Nagar zones will come up before the standing committee. The NMC had earmarked Rs13.79 crore for the project. Even in the third tender call, the NMC has received only one bidder for the work, which quoted 29% above the amount earmarked for the project. After negotiations, it has agreed to do the work 27% above the price. The health engineering department has now submitted a proposal of increasing the project cost to over Rs19.62 crore before the panel for its nod.
Source link
English
हिन्दी