The education department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has decided to start at least 10 English-medium schools, in a bid to face the
competition posed by private schools.
As CBSE-affiliated and other English-medium schools proliferate in all corners of the city, parents — even from slums and below the poverty line — prefer to send their children to these schools, irrespective of their financial condition or the distance the children have to cover daily.
Deputy municipal commissioner R Z Siddiqui said, “From the next academic session, a higher-English-medium school based on the State education board syllabus will be started in each zone. The schools will provide education from KG-I to Std X as per the state government rules. We plan to appoint specialist teachers from English-medium backgrounds on contract basis to run these schools.”
Alongwith free education in English medium, students in these English-medium schools will also be provided free school uniforms, shoes, belt, raincoat, school-bag, free books, and a full meal on two days full meal and Khichdi breakfast for five days every week, he added.
Siddiqui said, “NMC education department has adopted this programme to compete with elite schools, by adopting new methods. It will employ the best faculty, to provide the children the best possible teachers.”
“We are not overlooking the significance of higher standard schools like those with CBSE and ICSE patterns. We are starting state board English-medium schools this academic session, if we receive proper response from students and parents then we may offer CBSE pattern syllabus too to NMC students,” he added.
Meanwhile, NMC has started a massive campaign to register more admissions in its schools for the next academic session. Its advertisements list 21 special reasons why parents should prefer NMC schools for their ward’s education. “Along with free education, meals, uniforms, books and other stationary, NMC schools impart training in foreign language and MSCIT computer education. They also offer Janshree insurance scheme for students and health check-up camps at regular intervals,” Siddiqui added.