NEW DELHI, Apr 3:
The HRD Ministry is working on an initiative involving student exchange programmes between large and reputed city schools and those in villages to raise standards of learning in the latter.
The Ministry has already sought a list of “willing” schools from organisations like the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and CBSE, so that around 100 rural and urban schools can be clubbed in the initial phase, it is learnt.
The Smriti Irani-led Ministry has also written to state Governments asking them to identify some urban and rural schools for the student exchange programme and is planning to begin “pilots” in some of the states like Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
Under the scheme, students from rural schools will visit those in urban areas for a week and vice versa, while both institutions may also execute projects, which could range from story-telling to problem solving in various fields together.
It is envisaged that the better functioning schools would be able to identify areas in which they can support those in the countryside to help raise their standards, officials said.
“The idea is to link well functioning private or Government schools in urban or semi-urban areas for interaction and exchange of experience. Besides providing a new kind of learning to students, it will also create a support system for schools,” a senior official said.
The official added that the idea for devising a scheme that encourages partnerships among students had been first mooted at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was suggested that the Department of School Education (DSE) should formulate such a programme.
“While one school may be better placed in terms of infrastructure, facilities or teachers, the emphasis of the partnership is on equality, ensuring that the facilities of the better off school are accessible to its counterpart,” officials said.
Even research in this field indicates that inter-school collaboration has a positive influence on learning, he added.
Improving education in schools, especially those in rural areas, is high on the priority list of the government.
“The ministry is also working to see if young professionals entering the field of teaching can do internships in schools that don’t run too well,” a senior official said.
The HRD Ministry is also conducting a study based on the demand and supply of teachers in all states. (PTI)
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