The move aims to bring government school students on par with international education benchmarks.
In what could be termed as one of the most ambitious schemes in the public education sector, the Maharashtra government has decided to convert 100 municipal and government-run schools into ‘international’ schools.
The move aims to bring government school students on par with international education benchmarks. The state-run international schools are set to be launched in June 2017. The schools will continue to offer education in vernacular/English medium. Institutions run by Tribal Development and Social Justice Departments will also be included in this scheme.
An expert committee headed by school education commissioner is currently shortlisting the schools. “We wish to choose at least one school from each of the 36 districts. Over 2,000 teachers from the available pool of 5.6 lakh teachers in the state are also being shortlisted,” said school education secretary Nand Kumar. “The international curriculum will be adapted and adopted to the Maharashtra context,” says Kumar. More schools will be added to the project in future.
The school education department has created a separate cell for international education within the Maharashtra state board. It is also hiring consultants from Cambridge University to chalk out a world-class curriculum, plan a teachers’ training program and develop support structures for the chosen schools.
To keep the quality of education at par with global standards, the government has proposed that students from these schools will participate in global assessment tests such as PISA and PIRLS.
Students of Class 4 will take Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, an exam held every four years. Students of Class 4 and Class 8 will appear in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which is held every four years. Students above 15 years of age will take Program for International Student Assessment, conducted every three years.
Teachers and principals will be retained for only five years in these schools, though they can apply again for the posts. This aims to motivate others, and also to encourage other schools to join the scheme, says Kumar.
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