Civic schools not up to the mark

THREE-PART SERIES Though there are 86 NMMC schools for 25,000 students, are they equipped to provide quality education? HT finds out

NAVI MUMBAI: Branded as the city of the 21st century, Navi Mumbai is well-known for its large number of educational institutions, and is recognised as an upcoming ‘knowledge corridor’ in western Maharashtra. While there are over 170 private schools in Navi Mumbai, the city has 67 primary and 19 secondary municipal schools run by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation.

But are they enough, and are they well-equipped and staffed to take care of the needs of their 25,000 students? While the civic body says it is geared up for the challenge, NGOs working in the field say a lot more needs to be done. Sudhakar Sonawane, chairman, NMMC’s education department, said, “We are trying to minimise the gap and bring underprivileged children closer to quality education. People these days hesitate to send their children to government schools, and our aim is to change that mindset. In line with the Right to Education Act, for the coming academic year, we are aiming at ensuring that no child is left out, irrespective of caste, creed or family income. We will involve parents and students with awareness initiatives, and have training sessions for teachers.”

He said that more schools will be opened if the need arises, and that Rs90 crore could be allotted for education in the civic budget this year.

Amrish Patnigire, deputy municipal commissioner (education), said, “The mission and vision of the department is excel- lence in education and overall development of each and every child studying in the schools.”

However, not all agree that this goal is being achieved. Shobha Murthy, a child rights activist who runs an NGO, Aarambh, which provides education to underprivileged children in Navi Mumbai, said, “Though new structures with computer labs and spacious classrooms have come up under the Sarva Shikha Abhiyan scheme, toilets (especially for girls, to be provided mandatorily under SSA) do not have water, fans and lights do not work in most classrooms, and computer labs are just fancy rooms.”

She added that apart from there being inadequate infra- structure, the quality of education and the high-handedness of teachers is also adversely affecting students.

The civic education department, however, says it is gearing up to keep a check on the quality of education in municipal schools. “After the no-fail policy, many teachers feel that they can get away with anything.