The Uttarakhand Government is now planning to start English medium residential schools in the inaccessible areas of the State. These schools would be called Rajiv Gandhi Abhinav Residential schools and the Government plans to open one such school in all the 95 blocks of the State.
The Primary Education Director DS Kunwar told The Pioneer that these schools would be opened in those areas where the feasibility of opening a normal primary school is not there. He said that in first phase one school in every district would be opened from the next session and the department has started the process. Kunwar said that these schools would be opened in the inaccessible areas which do not qualify the norms for opening a Government primary school.
According to the norms, a school can be opened in that village or habitation which is having a population of more than three hundred and with no school in the radius of one kilometer. These schools would also cater the dropouts and the students of scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs). It means the department would give preference to area which is inaccessible, has history of high drop outs and with higher population of SCs and STs, while opening the school. Kunwar said that the aim of these schools is to provide quality education on the lines of the Kendriya Vidhyalas (KVs).
These schools would be from Class I to Class VIII and the government would provide boarding and lodging facilities free of cost to the students. After examining the performance of these 13 schools the Government would extend them to all 95 blocks of the State.