Kolkata :

Md Bilal, a student of Class II at a primary school near Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, never liked his classroom where thirty odd boys are crammed in a small room. But Bilal, son of a grocer in Ripon Street, knows that his father cannot afford to send him to schools which have big classrooms and large playgrounds. Hundreds of kids like Bilal, who live in and around Ripon Street, go to schools which lack basic infrastructure.

But, their dreams will soon come true when an English-medium school will come up in the area. The school, being built by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), will cater to more than 1,500 students. Proposed to be affiliated to the ICSE board, the school will bring best education to these children free of cost. The foundation stone for the school was laid on Saturday.

“Unlike traditional corporation schools, this school will be run by professionals. The idea is to bring best education to those who can’t afford it,” said Iqbal Ahmed, local MLA. The school, proposed to be run under the guidance of some well-known ICSE schools in the locality, will involve an investment of Rs 2 crore.

“We have tried similar models in six places in the city before. This is the seventh such school. While we are starting with upper-primary sections, we will gradually expand to the tenth standard,” said Mitali Banerjee, MMiC (education) of KMC.

T H Ireland, principal of St James School, believes that good communication skills in English is the need of the hour for the children. “It is therefore essential that these kids get their education in English,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / February 22nd, 2015