Quinquagenarian Silpi Dey’s happiness knows no bounds. She is the Principal of MMC High School of Karimganj. She believes tough days will soon be over and there will be enough space for every child studying at her school. This school is among the 264 schools of Assam which has been selected under the ambitious PM-Shri scheme for uplift of its infrastructure.
“The infrastructure in our school is not up to the mark. There is also a shortage of classrooms which will be built under the PM-Shri scheme,” said Dey while speaking to Asom Barta.
Under grants from the scheme, she plans to construct more classrooms, toilets, enhance drinking water facilities and improve the school, “On directives of the State Government, many nearby lower primary schools have been merged with our school. Earlier, we used to have Class VI to Class X, now it is from Class 1 to Class X. The amalgamation has resulted in a shortage of classrooms,” Dey confided in this reporter.
“During monsoon, water gets logged in various parts of the school. We are planning to renovate the school in such a way that this problem is done away with once and for all.”
Echoing Dey, Rita Maulik Chakraborty, Principal of Bilasipara Public HS School, said, “Through the PM-Shri fund we can have a state-of-the-art school building. We will also work to keep the school clean, green, and neat.”
Chakraborty firmly believes that financial assistance under the scheme will help the school authority meet the expectations of students. “Nearly 90% of students studying in the school are from financially challenged families. We want to provide them with the best education and assist them in becoming successful in life.”
The total project cost in PM Shri scheme is ₹27,360 cr which includes a Central share of ₹18,128 cr for five years from the year 2022-23 to 2026-27. For this fiscal, ₹127.46 cr has been approved by the Government of India. Selected schools are likely to receive financial assistance of ₹1.5- 2 cr each for carrying out various developmental activities.
Dipak Saha, the PM Shri Nodal Teacher of Kaziranga National Park High School, said, “I feel blessed to be part of this one-of-a-kind school which represents Assam and India. Our school is unique in many ways. Due to its geographical location, the children are very close to nature and wildlife. Love and duty towards nature and wildlife are imbibed among the children since the very beginning. We regularly organise wildlife awareness programmes for the students.”
Kaziranga National Park High School is among those few schools which celebrates World Rhino Day and World Wildlife Day annually.
Saha mentioned that with the support from the PM Shri funds, the school is planning to build an auditorium and additional classrooms.
“As a step towards going-green, the authority is also aiming to set up a water harvesting system and solar panels,” Saha added.
Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma while launching the scheme had said that the schools chosen under the scheme will have modern infrastructure, discovery-oriented teaching, and leadership roles. “State Government has chosen these schools for development thereby marking a significant milestone in Assam’s education sector. These schools will also impart a discovery-oriented way of teaching and provide leadership to nearby schools in encapsulating the full spirit of NEP,” he said in his speech.
He had also urged these schools and teachers to be future-ready and focus on making discussion-oriented classrooms.
Under the scheme, schools in urban areas need to score a minimum of 70%, whereas schools in rural areas need to score a minimum of 60% on benchmarks laid out to be selected as beneficiaries under PM Shri schools.
