With unprecedented investment planned in education, the government is looking at upgrading infrastructure at schools and colleges across the country along with lifting the quality of the learning they impart.

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal wants to ensure that educational institutions are not just transformed into centres of academic excellence, they also look just as inviting to students. He also wants school and college buildings to be as environment-friendly as possible.

A makeover is planned for government schools — mostly painted a dull yellow currently. The Ministry intends to get top architects and architecture firms to help them with the job pro bono publico — for the public good, or as part of a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.

“The idea is to ensure that schools, colleges and universities come with some standards and basic infrastructure, and are also green buildings,” a top official in the HRD Ministry told The Indian Express.

“The focus will be on improving design and aesthetics so that an educational institute looks inviting to the student — the student must enjoy spending time there. That apart, the institute’s design should be such that it is not only barrier-free but also so constructed or improved as to facilitate access for the differently abled.”

The experiment is set to begin with the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) which cater to talented children in rural areas. At a meeting of the executive committee of the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) last week, Sibal is learnt to have directed that reputed institutions be roped in to draw up a “model plan” for the construction of JNV buildings, and that every effort be made to ensure a ‘green’ campus.

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