Assam's tea gardens to get 80 new model schools with mid-day meals, smart classrooms

The Assam government will open 80 more model schools in tea garden areas along with introducing initiatives like mid-day meal schemes for classes 9 and 10 students and smart classroom facilities, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Interacting with the headmasters of the Tea Garden Model Schools and Adarsha Vidyalayas here on Thursday, the chief minister said that with the vision of bringing about qualitative changes in the academic landscape of the tea garden areas, the state government had decided to set up 200 model schools in 800 tea estates across the state.

Accordingly, in November 2022, foundation stones for 118 schools were laid, which are functioning at present in the tea garden areas.

He also emphasised encouraging the enrollment of students from different communities in the tea garden schools to ensure better assimilation.

The government is also committed to enhancing the infrastructure of the schools along with improving the service conditions of teachers posted in the model schools, Sarma added.

Taking note of the occasional dropouts, the chief minister said that the government is considering the option of introducing a mid-day meal for the students of classes 9 and 10, which is now available for students from nursery to class 8.

He said that the government will take steps to introduce smart boards and smart classrooms in the model schools.

The chief minister also took stock of the teachers' strength, pass percentage, and student attendance in the model schools.

He said that students from various communities should also be encouraged to enrol in the tea garden model schools, as it will help in assimilation and fostering harmonious relationships with students belonging to different communities.

The chief minister also took stock of the functioning of the 57 Adarsha Vidyalayas in the state.

He said the Adarsha Vidyalayas were set up with a vision to nurture talent, values and creativity through high-quality education, and the government is putting its efforts into elevating the quality of education in remote areas.

Sarma said the government will take steps to formalise one year of compulsory apprentice training for the B.Ed students in tea garden model schools and Adarsha Vidyalayas.

He also said that to ensure the attendance of students in remote areas, the government will provide bicycles to students from class 6 onwards.

To motivate students to attend school and take care of their health, the chief minister said that the government is considering introducing a School Breakfast Programme along with mandatory health checkups for students. (PTI)