Bigger edu outlay means better amenities for civic schoolkids

"There has been a hike in the allotment of funds this year, which means we will have better facilities," claim members of civicrun schools. Students, teachers and parents have welcomed the education budget of Rs 2,733 crore for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) schools.

This year, there has been an increase of Rs 160 crore, as compared to 2018-19. Mahesh Palkar, BMC education officer, said, "This amount will be utilised to introduce new schemes and implement new projects in this academic year. We want to improve the state of our schools and provide better facilities."

These projects include BMC schools which have applied for international curriculum under Maharashtra International Educational Board (MIEB) of the state government. A budget of Rs 2.60 crore has been provided for this purpose, to upgrade classrooms, furniture, labs and e-libraries in these schools.

Existing computer labs in BMC schools will be transformed into language labs, tinker labs and music academies for students. In addition, sports academies will be set up as playgrounds are being developed and play equipment will be installed in open spaces.

Funds will be sent to the students' bank accounts for the purchase of stationery like books, water bottles, shoes and uniforms. Milind Sawant, deputy municipal commissioner (DMC), said, "These funds will be transferred through the direct benefit transfer (DBT) policy of the state government. Around 60,000 student bank accounts have been opened, which are linked to the Aadhaar Card of students."

In order to help students to use their vacation time, creative activity sessions will be conducted at Bal Bhavan. Prakash Charate, senior education officer, said, "Students can participate for free in activities like drawing, glass painting, charcoal sketching, carpentry, learning English, making cloth or paper bags, tailoring and making decorative articles. This will help students to use their vacation time in a creative and productive way."

Existing computer labs in BMC schools will be transformed into language labs, tinker labs and music academies for students. In addition, sports academies will be set up as playgrounds are being developed and play equipment will be installed in open spaces