Rs537 cr annual plan under RMSA cleared for poll-bound UP

The Government has approved an annual plan of Rs 537 crore under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) for setting up over 400 new schools in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and strengthening the existing ones.

The annual plan proposal for the state for 2011-12 also includes payment of salary of 572 headmasters and 4004 teaching and non-teaching staff for 572 new schools sanctioned in 2009 and 2010, officials in the HRD Ministry said.

"The annual plan envisages setting up 449 new schools with a total outlay of  Rs26095.88 lakh and payment of salary to the tune of Rs19957.08 lakh", they said.

Besides, the plan includes strengthening 233 existing secondary schools, building additional classrooms, laboratory, library, water facility and toilet block at Rs6413.25 lakh.

The development comes a month after the HRD Ministry sanctioned 10,366 new primary schools and over 1000 new upper primary schools for Uttar Pradesh after it notified the RTE rules.

RMSA proposes universalising education at the secondary level between classes VIII and X and improving quality of teaching.

According to officials, the plan also includes provision of school grant for 1135 government schools with an outlay of Rs567.5 lakhs as well as repair of existing 402 government schools with a provision of Rs100.5 lakhs.

To improve the quality of teaching, the plan also makes provisions for capacity building of existing teachers, principals and new teachers.

It also includes training of 2288 teachers of 318 schools approved in 2010-11, in-service training of 26,258 Mathematics, Science, Social Science and English teachers and leadership training of 600 principals with an earmarked amount of Rs462.96 lakh.

Officials said guidance and counselling services for students with a provision of Rs7.82 lakh and training of 18160 school management and development committee members has been approved at an amount of Rs108.96 lakh.Rs 537 cr annual plan under RMSA cleared for poll-bound UP