The state government has decided to come up with 200 new intermediate schools and upgrade the 200 existing primary and secondary schools under the Centrally-sponsored Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan.

The decision was taken at a meeting held recently under the chairmanship of Minister for Higher Secondary Education, Rangnath Mishra.

The new schools will be set up in areas where there is no intermediate school within five km or there is only a primary school. The schools will be developed with all facilities, including laboratory, library, playground and classrooms. The state government will provide 25 per cent of the budget.

“The government is committed to launching the Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan in the interest of students. We will ensure the creation of labs, libraries, playgrounds and classrooms in the new and the existing schools to improve the quality of education,” said the minister.

The government has asked the board to complete the upgradation of schools by July, so these could start functioning from this academic session. Taking note of the dearth of teachers and the absence of infrastructure — classrooms, laboratory, library and play grounds — the minister has ordered setting up of district-level committees to conduct a survey. The committees will function under the district inspectors of schools and prepare reports on each school.

Mishra said the government has also ordered recruitment of 10,000 teachers by the Madhyamik Shiksha Chayan Ayog and the UP Public Service Commission. In the first phase of MSA, which begins on July 1, the National Curriculum Framework — a body entrusted with the implementation of unified curriculum up to intermediate level — will provide free books upto high school. Also, till high-school, the students will be exempted from paying fees. In the second phase, students of class XI and XII would also get these benefits.