New Chapter: Govt To Open Residential Schools On Indo-nepal Border – Times of India

Lucknow: UP government has decided to open four residential schools in districts on Indo-Nepal international borders.

Named after Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the schools, from class 9 to 12, to be set up in educationally backward blocks (EBB) of Nichlaul and Nautanwa in Maharajganj district, Birdpur in Siddharthnagar, and Rupaideeha in Bahraich, will also help the government tackle migration and cases of child trafficking in these regions.

Additional chief secretary secondary education Aradhana Shukla said that this is the first time that the secondary education department has decided to set up residential schools in aspirational districts.

“These are remotely situated areas and have minimum facilities for education. We have asked district magistrates to begin the process of land acquisition and have also written to the public works department (PWD) for necessary support,” Shukla told TOI.

Once the schools and hostels are set up, we will reach out to children in sparsely populated or hilly and densely forest areas with difficult geographical terrain and border areas where secondary schools may not be viable.

Each of the four residential schools will be built at a cost of Rs 5.74 crore. Under the Samagra Shiksha — an overarching programme for school education, the Centre — has approved a total of Rs 22.96 crore for all four schools. The fund sharing pattern for the project between Centre and state will be 60:40.

Welcoming the scheme, NGOs working in the Indo-Nepal border areas said that these schools are a ray of hope for children living in border areas who are vulnerable to trafficking.