Mira-Bhayandar: Schools run by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) are gradually witnessing an upward trend in the number of admissions this year. The MBMC's education department attributes the jump to steps taken towards improving existing facilities and launching tech-savvy initiatives, especially the introduction of digital classrooms aimed at providing a quality learning experience to students which will further narrow down the gap between civic-run schools and privately-operated education institutes in the twin-cities.
From 10,500 students in 2019 to 6,429 students in 2021, the municipal-run schools registered a steep downward trend of more than 35% in the past three years, with a worrisome rise in the number of drop-outs every year. However, consistent efforts by the MBMC pushed the numbers to 7,248 last year and the e-classroom initiative saw a significant 11% jump (777 new admissions), taking the total number of students in 36 MBMC schools to 8,025.
“As of now 50 classrooms have been digitalised and plans are afoot to add 25 more to the list. Digital education definitely plays a crucial role, but apart from concentrating on this area we are also fine tuning other existing facilities to create an education-friendly atmosphere so that our students are not left behind in any way,” education officer Sonali Mate said.
The MBMC has installed 65-inch smart television sets having advanced processors, higher storage capacity and other in-built features like video conferencing, online report availability and connectivity options for android mobile phones. This apart from software and training modules for teachers to provide interactive education to students. Moreover, these classrooms do not need blackboards as they are replaced by TV sets armed with touchscreen technology.
