Telangana Education dept releases sports grant of Rs 16.52 cr for local body schools

Hyderabad: The School Education department has released sports grant of Rs.16.52 crore for the local body schools across the State to promote sports and games among school children, besides ensuring their physical fitness.

Recently the department released the grant for 25,039 with 17,042 primary, 3,134 upper primary and 4,863 high schools under different managements.

Depending on the level of the school, the grant will be distributed. Each primary school has been provided Rs 5,000, while each upper primary and high school will be given Rs 10,000. As for primary classes, citing the Ministry of Education guidelines, the department suggested the schools to purchase 20 shortlisted equipment. The suggested equipment for classes 1-5 included plastic cricket bat, wooden cricket bat, softball, tennis ball, plastic balls, basketball, Frisbee, multi coloured hula hoops, saucer cone and bean bags.

For upper primary students, shotput, skipping rope, wooden cricket bat, tennis ball, throw-ball, agility ladder, foot pump and firstaid kit were suggested. In addition to equipment advised for upper primary schools, high schools can purchase badminton rackets, badminton shuttle, rugby ball-senior, and football along with goal post.

The department has released 100 per cent of the composite school grant totaling Rs.74.16 crore with 50 percent in the first phase and remaining Rs.37.08 crore recently to 26,337 schools.

The grants sanctioned to schools on the basis of enrollment are to be used for provision of stationery ---chalk pieces, white papers, register and conducting exams. They can also be used for paying electricity and internet bills, besides repairing computers, projector, K-Yan or TV. The management committee of the school concerned has been instructed to make resolutions to utilise the grants. The DEO staff and MEO have been asked to monitor the utilisation of the grants.