Mumbai: Three hundred Zilla Parishad (ZP) schools in Maharashtra will be developed as 'Adarsh School' or 'Model School' in phase one of a development project by the state school education department. A Government Resolution (GR) has been released in this regard on Monday. These model schools will set an example with a quality focus on physical facilities, academic merit and administrative facilities.
The state school education department has selected 300 ZP schools with one school in each taluka. According to the GR, these model schools will mostly comprise of Class 1 to 7 while, Class 8 can be added based on the requirement. The aim of creating model schools is to attract both parents and students to attend these schools for overall growth and development through education.
In terms of physical facilities, the model school will have independent toilets, safe drinking water supply, hygienic classrooms, attractive building, sports arena, sports equipment, ICT lab, science lab and library. There will be roads to commute to school from nearby villages. If there is an increase in the number of students in the future, there will be sufficient space to expand the building and physical facilities.
Students will get a chance to enhance their knowledge through activity-based learning in the model school. The GR stated, "Teachers should go beyond textbooks. Teachers should emphasise and inculcate among students the practice of standing and reading in front of the class. Students should be able to read, write and understand basic concepts of language and mathematics at the primary level."
Supplement to generalised stories, reading books and encyclopedias will be available in the school library. In addition, constructive educational programmes such as group study should be conducted to develop driving skills of the 21st century through creative thinking, critical thinking, scientific temperament, collaborative and communication skills.
In terms of administrative facilities, teachers should work for at least five years continuously in the model school and not request a transfer. The main goal of the school is to facilitate physical, intellectual and mental development of children through education. The model school should encourage the participation of students in sports, speech, writing, singing and other activities for overall development.
In order to ease the burden, every Saturday there should be a 'Schoolbag-free Day' in the model school. The 300 schools that have been selected should submit their suggestions or changes if any to the state school education department by November 6, 2020. No ZP school has been selected from Mumbai district while three from Thane and eight schools from Palghar district have been selected.
