Greater Chennai Corporation schools will get at least 400 additional smart classrooms with inbuilt computers and Internet links. They will be funded by Agence Française de Développement, a French development agency, and the Smart Cities Mission.
The French development agency will give 80% of the funds and the Smart Cities Mission 20%.
The Corporation has already built around 100 smart classrooms as part of its drive to modernise its schools.
On Thursday, officials of the French development agency and the National Institute of Urban Affairs visited the city and held a meeting with Mayor R. Priya and Commissioner J. Radhakrishnan to review the progress of the modernisation drive.
Another phase of school modernisation will be implemented after January at an estimated cost of ₹44.6 crore. The French development agency will provide ₹35 crore for the programme and the remaining funds will be released under the Smart Cities Mission, officials said.
Once the project is completed, at least 30% of the classrooms of the Corporation schools will become smart classrooms, providing quality education to over 1.3 lakh poor students. As many as seven of the 28 schools have already been modernised under the CITIIS (City Investments To Innovate, Integrate and Sustain), which receives funding from the French development agency. Smart classrooms in 15 schools are ready for inauguration and work is under way in six other schools. Another 11 schools will be modernised shortly.
The principals of the 139 schools, brought under the Chennai Corporation in added areas, will be trained in leadership, creating happy classrooms, and personnel management. “The enrolment in some of the modernised schools has increased,” said an official. The principals of 281 schools in the old city limits have already been trained.
