Bangalore: CM to go to school again

DHNS

• He has decided to spend four hours with students every month

 

Bangalore, 06 July 2011: Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has decided to spend four hours with students once a month in any of the government schools of the State.

 

The Chief Minister revealed his plans at the launch of a flagship programme of the State government called ‘Shaalegaagi Naavu-Neevu’ (We and You for School) to promote public participation in providing quality education in government schools.

 
The scheme will follow the guidelines of the Supreme Court, which had made it binding on the Union and the state governments to provide free elementary education for all.

 

The Chief Minister, who spoke at Rajanakunte on the outskirts of Bangalore City on Tuesday, said he would make it a point to spare four hours every month from his schedule to visit any government school in any village or taluk of the State. He said there was a time when getting school education was not easy, but now things have changed for good with government offering free education, books, uniform and food to school children. People should ensure that children go to school everyday, he added.

 

Yeddyurappa said that the Government has taken measures to provide toilets in all government schools in the State by the end of this year.

 

He said more than one lakh elected representatives would be participating in the ‘Shaalegagi Naavu Neevu’ programme organised by the Department of Education, to create awareness on the Right to Education.

 

He said that the government schools in border areas would not be closed down. Kannada textbooks will be supplied to these schools to popularise the mother tongue, he added.

 

Yeddyurappa expressed his displeasure that the public representatives rarely go to government schools, colleges and hospitals.

 

Doing so could revolutionise the education and health scenario in the State, he said.

 

He hailed the local residents, ex-students of Rajanakunte school and some major construction companies who donated Rs 24.5 lakh to develop the school.

 

Education Minister Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri said that the government had taken a major leap to end the stigma of poor quality education associated with government schools.

 

Giving the example of Rajanukunte School, Kageri said the school had been a centre of excellence which produced many engineers, doctors, lawyers and many brilliant people who are working abroad and bringing laurels to the State.

 

A white paper on the Rajanakunte school was brought out by the Commissioner for public instruction G Kumar Nayak detailing the achievements of the school in terms of infrastructure and the students who shone in different fields.