The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has submitted a ₹250-crore action plan to the State Government to upgrade the 63 educational institutions that it runs in the city. The action plan includes construction of additional classrooms and improving infrastructure facilities.
This comes a month after the Urban Development Department wrote to the BBMP’s Chief Commissioner directing the official to submit an action plan for the development of 47 primary and high schools for funds under the Amrut Nagarotthana scheme. Funds amounting to ₹6,000 crore have been earmarked for various development projects under this scheme.
Confirming the development, BBMP’s Assistant Commissoner (Education) Umesh B.S. told The Hindu that the action plan was submitted to the Government around a week ago.
Though the Government had sought the action plan for 47 primary and high schools, the civic body had also included 16 pre-university and degree colleges that it runs.
He said that as per the action plan already submitted, around ₹160 crore has been sought for major civil works, which includes building additional classrooms and toilets, while the remaining would go towards soft infrastructure works, such as procurement of furniture, computers etc.
The Education Department had prepared the action plan after consulting the engineering section and the subject inspectors, who visit all schools routinely.
“We have not included any funds for repairs and maintenance. For this, the BBMP uses its own funds amounting to ₹10 crore a year,” he said.
Justifying the need for additional classrooms, Mr. Umesh said that the admissions/enrolments to BBMP schools were increasing by 10% every year.
Currently, there are 10,768 students in 49 primary and high schools, and 8,500 students in the 16 PU and degree colleges.
He also said that as per the National Education Policy, high schools (with Classes IX and X) should have Classes XI and XII (or PU) as well. “Once the NEP is fully implemented, we will require additional classrooms,” he added.
‘Bengaluru Public Schools’ project
This is not the only school development plan. In March, the State Government, in its 2022-23 Budget, earmarked ₹89 crore for the development of 20 schools (16 under the Department of Primary and Secondary Education and 4 under the BBMP) to be developed as “Bengaluru Public Schools”.
The four BBMP schools that were chosen for the project were those in Cleveland Town, Mathikere, Padarayanapura, and Vijayanagar.
The objective of the project is also the improvement of infrastructure that would in turn result in increase in enrolments.
Mr. Umesh said that of the four schools chosen initially, two – Cleveland Town and Padarayanapura – had been handed over to the Bengaluru Smart City Ltd. (BSCL).
Of these, BSCL had finalised the tender for the improvement of Cleveland Town, while there was not much progress in the Padarayanapura school development plan.
