355 English model schools to open in Andhra Pradesh

355 English model schools to open in Andhra Pradesh

Syed Mohammed, TNN Mar 28, 2013, 12.52AM IST

Tags:

• English model schools|
• Department of Education|
• AP Model School Society

HYDERABAD: Come June and hundreds of children in remote mandals of the state will go to schools wearing neat uniforms and study modern history and English literature as the state is all set to open 355 new model schools in an equal number of mandals by June this year.

The English medium schools will provide quality education with a special focus on girls from educationally backward areas, officials said.

The move comes at a time when the state is lagging behind the national literacy rate and experts said that opening of English medium schools shows the government's policy shift of acknowledging poor standards of education in the districts and its attempt to improve the overall literacy standards. While the female literacy rate in the state stands at 59.74% which is 5.71% below the national female literacy rate of 65.45%, the literacy rate of men is 75.6% as against the national average of 82.1%. "In total, 7,400 teaching and non-teaching posts have been created. The aim of the model school project is to provide good education in rural areas," said AP Model School Society additional director B Seshu Kumari.