More takers for civic schools in Thane; record increase by more than 1K this year

Municipal schools in the city have seen an increase in students this year.

Municipal schools in the city have seen an increase in students this year.

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Hindi, English, Marathi and Urdu medium schools have admitted around 1,500 students this academic year. The rise is more in Marathi-medium schools, where the number of students has increased by more than 1,000.

The TMC attributes this to the infrastructure changes and the inclusion of better learning policies that were introduced last year.

In 2018, the total number of students in TMC schools was 27,353; this has increased to 29,106 in 2019. The rise in number of students has been seen in pockets such as Vartak Nagar, Manpada, Kalwa, Diva and Shil.

“TMC has been striving to improve schools; we want to bring them on a par with international schools. Before the start of the new academic year in June, there were many infrastructural changes and focus was on special children,” said Rajesh Kankal, education officer, TMC.

The involvement of corporate social responsibility has given a makeover to many civic schools in Thane city. Also, social organisations have been roped in to train teachers and improve the quality of education.

“We have made classrooms digitalised. The colourful interiors are an attraction for students. Last academic year, we even provided English speaking sessions for students and teachers. This has a positive impact on students and the word spreads thus getting more children into school,” said Manish Joshi, deputy municipal commissioner, education department, TMC.

In Marathi-medium schools itself, there has been a rise of 1,197 students; whereas English-medium schools have 408 students admitted in the new academic year.

“CSR is a preferred option as it requires less coordination. The approval for budget and other formalities can be evaded. The students get all required facilities in time,” said Vikas Repale, chairman of education committee, education department, TMC.

A total of ₹9.76 crore has been used since 2015 till 2017 to improve facilities in schools.

A total of 44 programmes were introduced in civic schools to increase the student count.

“We have put forth a budget of ₹11 crore this year as most civic school buildings are more than 30 years old. Basic repair and maintenance work has to be initiated for safety of students and to ensure better infrastructure,” added Joshi.