BMC presents education budget of over Rs 1,800

Mumbai, Feb 4 (PTI) Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation(BMC) today provided a surplus budget for education of over Rs1,800 crore, with focus on quality education and scholarshipprogrammes.

The education budget of Rs 1,800.51 crore was presentedby Additional Municipal Commissioner M M Adtani and EducationCommittee Chairperson Rukhmini Khartmol, showing a surplus ofRs 31 lakh than last year.

For the first time, the BMC has allocated Rs three crorefor virtual classroom projects for all 144 municipal secondaryschools for the benefit of SSC students.

"With a view of providing the guidance of experts for SSCstudents the concept of virtual classroom was started onJanuary 24 this year in 24 municipal schools. The studentsfrom their respective schools are able to communicate with theexperts and clear their doubts," Adtani said.

The BMC has allocated Rs 1.20 crore for scholarship forhigher studies for SSC and Rs 2.40 crore for scholarship forprofessional and technical courses for HSC students frombackward class.

"To improve quality of education Rs 48.29 crore would bespent on school improvement project, where UNICEF is technicalpartner, to be extended to all 913 municipal primary schoolsof Marathi, Hindi, Urdu and English medium," Adtani said.

Besides this, BMC will continue to provide free uniforms,education material, medical services, flavoured milk to allits students, attendance allowance of Re one daily to the girlstudents and computer training facility.

The BMC would also carry out repair and up-gradation andmaintenance work of its school buildings.

There are over four lakh students studying at 1,100civic-run schools in the city.