BMC budget: Rs 3,300-crore boost for digital teaching

The BMC has presented the Budget estimate of Rs 337024 crore for civic education for the 202223 financial year The civic body has focussed on digital initiatives including providing tabs to students digitising classrooms setting up astronomy labs skill set classes and setting up 40 YouTube channels for different standards in four languages In addition to this the BMC is getting the International Baccalaureate IB and International General Certificate of Secondary Education IGCSE school affiliations and doing up its schools and classrooms with thinking walls attractive polymer benches and revitalised playgroundsBMC has begun process of providing tabs to 19401 studentsPresenting the education Budget BMC joint municipal commissioner education Ajit Kumbhar said in the academic year 202122 the total number of students in all mediums of BMC schools has increased by 26449 The free education is being imparted by 6831 teachers to 242899 students of 964 primary schools of eight mediums mdash Marathi Hindi Gujarati Urdu English Telugu Tamil and Kannadardquo He said ldquoThe BMC has launched 40 YouTube channels in four languages for different standards and mediums under the Education for All initiative to provide free and quality education at home for the studentsrdquo Kumbhar said ldquoConsidering the positive response BMC has started CBSE board schools from Nursery to Std VI in 202122 At present 12 schools of other boards including 11 that have received affiliation from CBSE board Delhi and one school of ICSE board are functionalrdquoIGCSE and IB schools by BMCFrom the academic year 202223 one school each of IGCSE affiliated to Cambridge University and IB will be started to provide the best education to the students of BMC schoolsBudget provision Rs 15 croreAstronomy labsTo increase the curiosity of students 25 astronomical laboratories will be established as a pilot projectBudget provision Rs 75 lakhTinkering LabsTinkering Labs are being established in 25 BMC secondary schools through which students can prepare technical models with learning by trialanderror method with the help of modern means of information technologyBudget provision Rs 29 lakh50 more elibrariesAn elibrary is working in 25 BMC secondary schools with a set of four computers and teachers have been issued loginpassword through which standard 5 to 10 students can freely access 800 reference books related to their syllabus on single click These will be started in 50 more primary schools in the year 202223Budget provision Rs 10 lakhDigital classroomsAbout 1214 classrooms out of 7934 are now digitised since the year 201819 In addition to this the digitalisation of 1300 more classrooms with LED interactive panels is already in progress In the coming year of 202223 in addition to this 1300 more classrooms will be digitalisedBudget provision primary schools Rs 2325 croreBudget provision secondary schools Rs 376 croreTabs for studentsThe process of providing tabs with updated content of the syllabus to 19401 students of Standard 10 for the academic year 202122 has begunBudget provision Rs 7 croreFD for girl studentsIn the year 2021ndash22 under the scheme of Girls Attendance Allowance a total number of 15352 girls of standard 8 are being issued Fixed Deposit Certificates of Rs 5000 through the Indian Post Office This welfare scheme will be continued in the year 202223 Budget provision primary schools Rs 7 croreBudget provision secondary schools Rs 47 lakhPolymer desk benchesThe budget document said that the civic body had proposed to procure approximately 10000 polymer desk benches for BMC school students in the academic year 202223Budget provision primary schools Rs 279 croreBudget provision secondary schools Rs 50 lakh25Number of tinkering labs are being established in BMC secondary schools26449The increase in studentsrsquo strength in BMC schools for the academic year 202122