Darjeeling: The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA)
has decided to invest around Rs 26 crore to build 56 school buildings
across the Darjeeling hills.
Amar Singh Rai, Darjeeling MLA and member of the education
department of the GTA's board of administrators, said: "Under the Sarva
Siksha Mission, the GTA has decided to construct 20 primary school
buildings and 36 upper primary school buildings. Tenders have already
been floated."
Upper primary schools have classes till VIII.
Sources said that primary schools building would be built at a
cost of Rs 28 lakh each while construction of a upper primary school
building would cost of Rs 58 lakh.
In total, Rs 5.6 crore will be spent on building primary schools and Rs 20.88 crore for upper primary school buildings.
Rai said: "Our aim has been to give a major thrust in
education in the hills. We have identified those schools which are
situated in far-flung areas of the hills. The GTA is holding continuous
meeting with the state government on various developmental initiatives."
"Following the meetings with the state government, it has been
decided that 99 school buildings will be constructed in the hills. The
56 buildings that are being constructed is part of the first phase of
work," Rai added.
The minister informed that the GTA was working in tandem with
the state government to ensure that the educational standard is improved
in the hills.
"We are committed to improving education in the hills and
regain the past glory. We will go our best and will place our progress
report before the public for them to judge," he said.
In the last couple of months, the state government and the GTA has regularised jobs of 137 ad-hoc teachers.
In January, Binay Tamang, the GTA chairman of the board of
administrator, had handed approval letters to 429 secondary teachers,
solving a decade long problem.
The secondary teachers had been given appointment in various
hill schools in 2010 by the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council but with the
approval only coming from DGHC education secretary and not the district
inspector of schools, the teacher's post retirement benefits were in
doubt.
However, with the DI giving its approval, after the GTA pursued the issue, the secondary teachers problem have also been solved.
The Telegraph
Post a Comment
We love to hear from you! What's on your mind?