Aiming at providing quality education for all, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on Thursday launched the ‘Model School Scheme’ by inaugurating the state’s first government model school in Basohli.
“I am happy we are making a new beginning from Basohli and Jammu, from where we will take this movement to other parts of the state,” Sayeed said.
“We have launched a new movement for providing quality education to students. Unless we make strides in the education sector, we cannot progress on any other front,” he said.
“The education sector received a huge setback over the past few years,” he said, accusing previous governments of ignoring it.
Stressing on the need to emulate private schools in disseminating quality education, Sayeed said his government will bring in structural changes and take corrective measures to put the sector back on track.
He said “we will take every step to train teachers so that they impart quality education to our students”.
According top priority to upgrading infrastructure in existing schools, Sayeed said “access to learning and teaching aids, and training of teachers were critical areas”.
“Model schools will have to adopt primary schools in their catchment areas to inculcate new concepts of teaching to students early in their career,” he said.
113 government higher secondary schools will be converted into model schools in the first phase of the scheme.
In all, 220 schools will be reshaped into model schools. Rs 16.50 crore have been set aside for setting up smart class rooms and state-of-the-art computer labs.
The Basohli HSS was adopted by Sayeed during his previous visit here. He is scheduled to inaugurate two similar schools in Kashmir valley soon.
PTI
