The Ernakulam Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School is likely to reap the benefit out of the government’s proposed move to upgrade 100 educational institutions in the State to the international level.
The Hindu has learnt that government girls’ schools will get priority in the first phase of the ambitious ‘Mission 100’ project that aims at elevating select government schools into international standards. The project is expected to be modelled on the lines of the upgrade of the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School for Girls at Nadakkavu in Kozhikode. K.M. Sivaraman, Principal of the Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School, said the school had already taken steps to seek the support of its well-wishers for the academic and infrastructure development. The 137-year-old school now has about 840 higher secondary and 400 high school students, he said.
Senior officials associated with the project proposal said that a final decision on the selection criteria and process of short-listing the government schools would be decided by the Cabinet. An expert committee would be set up to identify the schools in each district having the potential to be elevated to international standards.
The elected representative will have to scout for philanthropists interested in collaborating in the project with the help of the local bodies and the district administration.
Officials said the government’s role in the project would be minimal.
The budget has proposed Rs. 8 crore for stepping up the quality of 100 schools. Seventy-five per cent of the funds for each school should come from MLA Special Development Fund (MLA-SDF) and the MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).
Responding to the initiative, P. Rajeev, MP, said that he had already spent funds for the development of the project block and a school bus besides supporting the e-toilet scheme on the campus.
