The Indian Express                        25.03.2013

From new academic session, AMC board to add 132 schools

THE Ahmedabad municipal school board, that is already receiving flak for its declining number of schools and students, is all set to add 132 primary schools to its list. With the new academic session to start from June 2013, the municipal school board will have an addition of 132 primary schools to its existing list of 456 schools. While, 111 primary schools currently under zila parishad jurisdiction will be transferred under municipal school board, 21 new schools, all in Gujarati medium, are to come up in the city, majority in economically backwards areas.

The need for new schools was evaluated after a school mapping under Right to Education Act was conducted by the municipal school board, last year. The survey revealed the number of schools, areas where they would come up, expected student strength in each school along with the distance from existing nearest school. The new schools that are coming up in economically backward areas of east, south and north zones are the rehabilitated and migrated colonies from Sabarmati riverfront after it was vacated for the development work.

"The new schools identified in the city will cater to those areas where the nearest school is from 2-4 kilometres of distance. While, new buildings are being constructed at few places, remaining will start from a rented building ascertaining that these start from the coming academic session," said the municipal school board Chairman Jagdish Bhavsar.

The new areas where these 21 primary schools will come up include Bapunagar, Nikol ward, Rakhial, Vatwa, Behrampura, Danilimda, Khokhra, Lambha, Amraiwadi, Isanpur and Thakkarbapanagar. While, the estimated students comes out to be nearly 6,800 varying from 150 to 500 in each school.

One of the reasons cited for all new schools in Gujarati medium is the declining number of municipal Gujarati medium schools in the city. The total number of municipal schools has declined in last five years. From 471 schools in 2009, the number has declined to 456, this year.

Similarly, on the other hand, with the extension of Ahmedabad municipal corporation limits, as many as 111 primary schools that are presently running under zila panchayat education committee will come under the jurisdiction of Ahmedabad municipal school board. A total student strength of 36,729 enrolled in these schools along with 1,144 teachers will also be brought under municipal school board.

Talking about additional infrastructure and faculty requirement in these schools, the municipal school board administrative officer L D Desai said, "These requirements will be evaluated once these come under the AMC in June 2013 followed by a survey to be carried out in these 111 schools."

Out of these 111 primary schools, 52 with 15,950 student enrolment and 498 teachers are under Daskroi taluka while 19,336 students and 595 teachers from 51 schools are under city taluka. These include co-education, girls as well as boys schools majority running in Gujarati medium with hardly a few in Urdu and Hindi medium.

A few schools that were prior to the new AMC limits considered to be under Gandhinagar district will also come under municipal school board. These include eight schools from Chandkheda, Visat, Baglawadi, Motera, Pasharvanath nagar and Laxminagar areas including 1,443 students and 51 teachers.