Gujarat govt approves 162 new secondary schools

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Education Department has approved 162 new government secondary schools for the academic year 2024-25. Of these, 130 will be in non-tribal areas, while 32 will be in tribal regions.

Four new government secondary schools have been sanctioned for the Vadodara district, including three in Vaghodia taluka - Government Secondary School Limda, Government Secondary School Sangadol, and Government Secondary School Vyara. One school in Akoti village, Dabhoi taluka, has been approved.

The inauguration ceremonies for these schools were held in the presence of Member of Parliament Hemang Joshi, MLA Dharmendrasinh Vaghela, District Education Officer R.R. Vyas, Executive Chairman Nileshbhai Purani, and former Taluka Panchayat President Anupama Parmar.

During the event, around 45 students from the newly approved schools were enrolled, and educational kits were distributed by the dignitaries. The ceremony saw participation from parents, students, Limda Primary School staff members, and Limda village residents.

In June 2024, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Ahmedabad Municipal School Board had developed 30 smart schools at a cost of Rs 36 crore under the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Nine are located in the Ghatlodiya Assembly constituency, 10 in Vejalpur, 4 in Naranpura, and 7 in Sabarmati, all of which were inaugurated this year.

Of the 69 schools in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, 59 have already been transformed into smart schools, with the remaining schools set to be upgraded soon. The curriculum of these innovative schools now includes skill development, vocational training, and digital empowerment.

Additionally, they feature enhanced learning tools such as mathematics practice, science laboratories, future classrooms, 3D educational charts, 3D paintings, and various elements of Indian culture.

Meanwhile, the government informed the Assembly this year that as of December 2023, 341 state-run primary schools in Gujarat were operating with single classrooms, and over 1,400 administrative officer positions in the Education Department remained vacant.

These details were provided in a written response by Education Minister Kuber Dindor to a question posed by Congress MLA Kirit Patel during Question Hour of the ongoing Budget session.

The minister cited several reasons, including demolishing dilapidated classrooms, low student attendance, and a lack of available land for constructing new classrooms.