Amidst ongoing unrest in the Valley, officials said that the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to establish smart classes in as many as 32 schools in Srinagar by the end of the current fiscal year. A meeting was held on Thursday to review the progress regarding establishment of Smart Class Rooms in city Schools by Dr Farooq Ahmad Lone, the District Development Commissioner (DDC) Srinagar.
During the meeting, Dr Lone directed the Chief Education Officer of Srinagar, and other concerned authorities to ensure timely completion of the project besides ensuring quality equipment. The Chief Education Officer informed that this project is being implemented through the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) to ensure strict quality control and that these Smart Class and ICT Labs shall be established in 32 Schools of the district during the current fiscal. Out of these 32 schools, only 22 have been approved under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyhan (RMSA) and the remaining would be covered under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
The total cost of project for each school under RMSA is around Rs 8 lakhs, including electrification and Vinyl flooring, while as under SSA, each school would get Rupees 6 lakhs. Also, the DDC has also released an amount of Rs 38.80 lakhs out of Special Area Development Programme (SADP) to meet the requirements so that smart classrooms or ICT Labs are established soon to benefit students.
The government of J&K also gave relief to school students by announcing mass promotion of candidates wherein all students from Class 5 to 9 and Class 11 from all the government schools and recognized private schools of Kashmir valley would be elevated to the next level with immediate effect.