The Rashtriya Madhyamika Shiksha Abhiyan, launched by the Union government to enhance access to secondary education and improve its quality, was only a partial success in the first academic year of its launch in Dakshina Kannada.
The Education Department had recommended opening high schools (from class 9) at 13 places in the district under the scheme. The government sanctioned five of them.
But the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee meeting, held in Mangalore, was told on Thursday that the schools (from class nine) were opened only in two places.
The meeting was presided over by Nalin Kumar Kateel, Member of Parliament.
Rules to play
Y. Shivaramaiah, Deputy Project Co-ordinator of the scheme in the district, said that the government sanctioned the five schools as late as August 2, 2013. Under this scheme, the schools could be opened only in such places where there was no government high school or government aided private high school in a radius of three km. By the time the government’s sanction letter came, students were admitted in the nearby schools. But the Education Department was able to open class 9 at Balanja in Belthangady taluk with 38 students and at Salethadkka in the same taluk with 12 students by attracting students who already got admissions in nearby schools. Parents played a major role to retain the high schools sanctioned to their villages. The classes were opened in the buildings of existing primary schools there.
The schools at the remaining three places – Badanaje in Belthnagady taluk, Kumpala and Amblamogaru in Mangalore taluk – could not be opened as the students had joined other schools.
Potholes
In response to a question raised by the MP, an official from the National Highways Authority of India has said that potholes on the 37-km stretch between B.C. Road and Surathkal on the national highways 66, 75 and 169 would be cleared within 15 days.
Dengue cases
An official from the Health Department said that 31 dengue cases have been reported in the district last month. In all, 318 dengue cases have been reported in the district in the first 10 months of this year.
He said that 532 malaria cases were reported in the district last month. Of them, 479 cases were in urban area. In all, 4,580 malaria cases were reported in the district from this January to October.
