A hike in the allowance for school uniform and installation of solar panels in all schools figured top among the Budget proposals for the general education sector.
The total outlay for the sector will be ₹19,129.5 crore. The school uniform allowance has been increased to ₹600 from the earlier ₹400.
Solar panels will be set up in a phased manner in all schools. All new schools under construction will have the provision for installing solar panels. The aim is to encourage alternative energy sources in educational institutions.
The Budget has given its nod for increasing the allowance of pre-primary teachers by ₹500. The wages of cooking staff has been enhanced by ₹50. A new scheme will be introduced to procure new furniture in new buildings . The old furniture will be reused. A talent scheme will be formulated to foster the aesthetic flair of students in school clusters.
The Sradha remedial education programme will be expanded. It envisages giving special attention to students who are unable to achieve minimum learning levels in mathematics. School laboratories will be modernised.
The Prathibhatheeram scheme, first launched in Alappuzha, will be expanded to other regions. It aims at creating an academic ambience in coastal libraries for students in coastal areas.
About five lakh students had additionally joined public schools in Classes II to X. A significant increase was seen in the overall number of students in public schools. The number had been steadily falling until 2016. The number of students had come down to 4,99,450 in public schools during the tenure of the previous government, he claimed.
He also recalled that construction of buildings, measuring 80 lakh sq ft at a cost of ₹3,500 crore, under assistance from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board, MLA and MP funds and local body schemes was progressing. An amount of ₹20 crore has already been given to aided schools as Challenge Fund. This scheme will continue in 2020-21 also, he said.
