Mumbai: In a move aimed at improving eye health among schoolchildren, the Maharashtra School Education Department has signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust and OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation to conduct eye screenings of students in government schools and provide free prescription spectacles to eligible students with vision defects.
The agreement was signed at Sahyadri State Guest House in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse. School Education Department Principal Secretary Ranjit Singh Deol, Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust trustee Rajiv Mehta and OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation director Venu Ambati were also present.
Eye screening project launched
Under the project, eye examinations will be conducted for 20 lakh students studying in Classes 5 to 10 in government schools across Maharashtra. The School Education Department will implement the project, while Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust will serve as the implementation partner and OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation as the technical partner.
Students found to have refractive errors or other vision-related needs and deemed eligible will be provided prescription spectacles free of cost by the partner organisations.
Monitoring and data protection
The MoU will remain in force for 36 months, during which eye-screening camps will be organised across the state. The progress of the project will be monitored and evaluated regularly through quarterly reports covering the number of screening camps conducted, beneficiaries screened, spectacles distributed and other project-related parameters.
The project will also involve scientific collection of information required for monitoring students' eye health. The agreement includes provisions concerning confidentiality of students' personal information and data protection.
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Earlier programme expanded
The initiative builds on an earlier programme that has been running since 2019. According to the School Education Department, more than 6.8 lakh students from 800 schools across 18 districts have been screened under the initiative so far, with over 63,000 spectacles distributed.
The government said the expanded programme is expected to facilitate early detection and treatment of eye-related problems among schoolchildren. Free spectacles for students requiring vision correction are also expected to help address difficulties in classroom learning arising from poor vision.
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