Historic start to Young India Schools

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has made a big shift in the education system in its efforts to provide quality education to the poorer sections in the State. The foundation stones for the construction of ambitious Young India Integrated Residential Schools were laid at 28 locations on a single day on Friday.

Laying the foundation stone for a school at Kondurg in Shadnagar Assembly constituency, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced that his government is committed to establish the integrated schools in all the 119 Assembly constituencies. The main objective of the schools is to provide quality education to the poor regardless of caste, creed and religion under a single roof.

High-end facilities like digital smartboards, computer centers and libraries and sports facilities like football and cricket grounds and basketball and tennis courts would also be provided in the integrated schools which are being established on a sprawling 20 to 25 acres in each Assembly segment, he said. The government has already earmarked Rs 5,000 crore outlay to construct the integrated residential schools this year, he added.

The integrated schools will offer education from 4th grade to 12th level and the total strength in each institution will be 2,560 students. About 120 teachers will be recruited in each school to provide education focusing on sciences and mathematics.

The students will also acquire knowledge on Green Energy by establishing non-conventional power generation plants in the school campus, the CM said.

The government will also provide healthy and nutritious food every day to the students. Special menu will be designed exclusively for the integrated residential institutions to make the students physically strong.

The integrated schools will cater mainly to the students from underprivileged sections, including SC, ST, BC and minority communities, Revanth said. The government wanted to bridge educational inequalities and ensure that all children get quality education. The academic framework will conform to the state syllabus with a specialized focus on preparing students for competitive exams such as IIT – JEE, NEET and other nationally recognized examinations. The curriculum will emphasize the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education and also give due importance to the humanities and languages ensuring a good academic foundation for all students.

The schools will also provide a conducive environment for the overall growth of the students. Extracurricular activities like sports, arts and cultural engagements will also be the part of curriculum, he added.

A festive atmosphere wore at 28 locations where the foundation stones for the integrated schools are laid. Kodangal, Madhira, Husnabad, Nalgonda, Huzurnagar, Manthani, Mulugu, Paleru, Khammam, Warangal, Kolhapur, Andol, Chandrayanagutta, Mancherial, Bhupalpally, Achchampet, Station Ghanpur, Tungaturthi, Munugodu, Chennuru, Shadnagar, Parkala, Narayankhed, Devarakadra, Nagarkurnool, Manakondur and Narsampet Assembly constituencies are selected in the first-phase of the programme.