To provide the best learning infrastructure to the students of grade VI to XII, the Gujarat government has announced a policy to set up residential schools of excellence on public private partnership (PPP) mode envisaging large campuses of 2,000 to 10,000 students.
The initiative is in the primary to higher secondary education sector. The residential schools will admit students from the government and grant-in-aid schools selected through a State-level common entrance exam at the end of grade V.
This is part of the ambitious World Bank funded Mission Schools of Excellence project the Gujarat government has undertaken to transform the education sector.
25,000 computer labs
The government has chalked out a 1,000-day plan to build over 20,000 classrooms, setting up 1.5 lakh smart classrooms in primary and secondary schools along with 25,000 computer labs and 5,000 Atal Tinkering Labs.
“This policy aims at recognising, nurturing and hand-holding the most meritorious children studying in government and grant-in-aid schools across Grade I-V and providing them best quality of residential schooling from Grade VI-XII, free of cost,” stated the policy document of the Education Department.
“The State government would pay to the project partners an all-inclusive ₹60,000 per student per year, with 7% annual increment, for meeting recurring expenses. The policy intends to create 1,00,000 students capacity in the next 2-3 years,” said Vinod Rao, Education Secretary.
The project partners to be selected through bidding will be making all necessary investments for procuring land to set up campus and create digital infrastructure while the State will give money only after the students are admitted and the campus becomes functional.
Exclusive curriculum
The residential schools will have their exclusive curriculum and pedagogy which will be prepared in consultation with national and international boards. The Education Department is in talks with the international Cambridge Board to create a special academic curriculum.
Aligned with the education policy announced by the Centre, the schools to be set up under the new initiative will have emphasis on bilingual medium from Grade VI-VIII to transition the students for only English medium from Grade IX onwards.
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