A paved metal road leads to a manicured lawn facing a school building at Kuchipudi village in Amruthaluru mandal. The school itself has been given a complete makeover with a fresh coat of paint. Classy tables and chairs greet students inside the classroom. Outside, the washrooms are neat and tidy and the play area too has been improved.
Well, this is not a school showcased by corporate brands, but is among the 1,158 government schools that have been given a complete makeover by the district administration under the Nadu-Nedu programme.
For years, the government schools have been in a dilapidated condition with worn-out walls, rusted benches and pot-holed roads, hardly an incentive for students.
The State government under the ambitious Nadu-Nedu programme has taken up in a mission mode the task of giving a complete facelift for all the government schools. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy wanted them to be on a par with corporate schools. The government also intended to revamp the school curriculum and introduce English medium from this academic year.
Areas of focus
“In Guntur district, 1,158 schools have been chosen under the programme,” said District Collector I. Samuel Ananda Kumar.
“We have focussed on drinking water, toilets, benches, lights, fans, flooring, kitchen and play ground and will be completing the works before the schools reopen. I congratulate the headmasters and parents’ committees that have worked tirelessly to make this happen,” he said, after inspecting the Kuchipudi school.
The Collector also visited schools in Vemulapadu in Phirangipuram mandal and 75 Tyallur in Pedakurapadu mandal.
Joint Collector P. Prasanthi, District Educational Officer Durga Bhavani and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan PD P. Ramesh were present.