₹16 CR FOR COVID ESSENTIALS IN CIVIC SCHOOLS

MUMBAI: Supplying Covid-19-related essentials, opening 10 new Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools and rebranding civic schools – are some initiatives the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will spend on, as part of its education budget for 2021-22. On Wednesday morning, the civic body announced its budgetary estimates for the year and allocated ₹2,945.78 crore for education in 2021-22. This is a marginal increase from last year when BMC had set aside ₹2,944.59 for its schools. In the backdrop of the Covid-19 outbreak and anticipating reopening of schools soon, a provision of nearly ₹16 crore is set aside for procuring infrared thermometers, soaps, hand wash and masks for students.

This year, the civic body will also open 10 new CBSE schools in different parts of the city for which there is a budgetary estimate of ₹2 crore. These schools will operate from existing BMC buildings for students from preprimary to Class 6, and education will be free of cost.

To ensure standardisation of educational content in balwadis across different mediums in the city that will be implemented this year on, BMC has created a training programme in partnership with UNICEF, Pratham, Save the Children India and Rocket Learning. Similarly, child protection teams will be constituted at school and ward level to address complaints concerning rights violation and other grievances “These teams will hear complaints from students and parents and conduct awareness sessions about good and bad touch, and the rights of children,” said Mahesh Palkar, education officer, BMC.