Higher education for every rural pocket

Ranchi, Aug. 9: In an effort to reach higher education to each of the 212 blocks of the state, the state human resource development department has decided to upgrade existing schools to Plus Two levels.

There are already 59 secondary schools running in 44 blocks.

The government will therefore have to create higher education facilities in the remaining 168 blocks.

According to the proposal that is being sent to the cabinet committee on policy decisions, the schools will be opened in two stages; with 84 blocks being considered in each stage.

Asked about the changes the government intended to undertake, officials at the human resource development department made it clear that no new schools would built in the process.

?The already existing high schools would be upgraded to Plus Two schools. Before that, a facelift will be given to their infrastructure and appointment of new teachers, exclusively for the XI and XII classes, will be undertaken,? explained one of them.

The officials said the government had asked all 81 MLAs to recommend two high schools from their respective constituencies so the human resource development department could accord them the status of Plus-Two schools after the upgradation.

They also added that only a quarter of the existing number of legislators have responded positively.

The government?s move, however, has come in for much criticism.

Jharkhand State Secondary Schools Teachers? Association leader Ganga Yadav said slammed the government for deceiving the students.

?In normal circumstances, the government?s move to open 168 schools would have been a welcome gesture. But we are not happy with the decision as the government has backtracked with its earlier decision of revamping the existing number of schools.?

The human resource development department had announced Rs 20 lakh for infrastructure development of each of the 59 schools in the last fiscal, Yadav pointed out, but nothing has been heard of the money since then.

Asked about the 59 Plus Two schools, human resource development minister Pradeep Yadav said he would look into the matter.