As many as 1,93,743 students registered for exams undertaken by Chhattisgarh State Open School during the current year ( 2015-16), officials stated. The Open School was inaugurated by Chief Minister Raman Singh on July 1, 2008. As many as 6,92,939 students have been benefited so far from the school since its inception.
School Education Minister Kedar Kashyap stated that the school had been beneficial for those students who had been cut off from the societal mainstream. The Open School every year holds exams for High School and Higher Secondary School. During 2008-09, there were a total of 152 study centres, the numbers of which in 2014-15 stood at 357. The study centres are now operational in all the 27 districts of the State.
Notably, the State Government has decided to open a total of four new Pre-matric hostels for the tribal children during the current financial year. Kashyap last month stated that the hostels would be opened in Kodenar in Bastanar Development Block in Bastar, Bakarkatta at Chuikhadan Development Block in Rajnandgaon district, Kanga and Bayanaar in Kondagaon Development Block in Kondagaon district of Bastar.
With a view to promoting education in Tribal areas, the Central government is going to open 500 seat capacity hostels each in 13 Tribal blocks of Chhattisgarh. This was decided during Union Tribal Welfare Minister Jual Oram’s Chhattisgarh visit early this year. The Minister had also reviewed various schemes and programmes being implemented for tribal community in Chhattisgarh.
The Union Minister had assured Chief Minister Raman Singh all support in execution of new schemes in the State. School Education Minister Kashyap had requested to open 500 seat capacity hostel in all 85 blocks of the State. He had also demanded opening of nine Ekalvya schools in Chhattisgarh.
Kashyap had also requested to sanction Rs60 crore for opening four new Prayas Residential Schools in the State. The Chhattisgarh Government is constantly making efforts to improve the student-teacher ratio in Chhattisgarh besides enhancing the educational facilities in State, officials stated. As a result of these efforts, student-teacher ratio in schools of Chhattisgarh has reached close to the national average of 25 students per teacher.
This ratio in primary schools of the State is around 23 students per teacher and in middle schools it is 24 students per teacher. likewise, the State also has 83 per cent of the children enrolled in government schools. The rationalization scheme was implemented in the State to increase the number of teachers in schools.
Kashyap mentioned about the report of social service organization ‘Asar’ while saying that State Government has been taking continuous measures to reduce the student-teacher ratio in the State so as to ensure sufficient number of teachers in schools as per the national average. Effective steps have been taken to enhance infrastructure of schools.
He said that in year 2010, only 79 per cent schools in the State had their own offices, store-rooms or office-cum-storerooms. In year 2014, this figure has improved to 82.3 per cent. likewise, in year 2010, only 45 per cent of the schools had the facility of playground. But by 2014, this figure has increased to 64.2 per cent. Kashyap further stated that as per the survey, number of schools equipped with boundary walls has increased from 48.8 per cent to 60.8 per cent in last four years. In the same period of time, the State Government took up a special campaign of providing lavatory and safe drinking water facilities in schools. In this campaign, the number of schools equipped with these facilities, which was 82 per cent earlier, has increased to nearly 90 per cent at present, he said.
Moreover, nearly 92 per cent schools have been equipped with the facility of lavatory in year 2014. Earlier, this figure was only 71 per cent. For midday meal scheme, schools are being provided with kitchen facility. In year 2010, only 86 per cent schools had kitchen shades. This has increased to around 93 per cent in year 2014. Moreover, with a view to creating better infrastructure in schools, the Chhattisgarh government has sanctioned Rs8.45 crore for construction of a total of 50 High School buildings in different parts of the State.
School Education Minister Kedar Kashyap informed that the approvals have been made from budget allocated to the Department for fiscal 2015-16. The school buildings would be constructed in Jagdalpur block, Dhanpunji and Kachla block of Bastar district; Sudhpal, Markuchi, Baniyagaon, Sorgaon, Rajpur and Nandpura village of Basatr block; Kolepal of Tokpal block and Tirathgarh of Darbha block.