Sundargarh: Jahnavi Nayak is happy going to school these days and for a good reason too.
“Our classroom looks beautiful now. Smart boards have replaced black boards; the worn-out walls have been painted and the desks and benches look colourful. It feels nice to sit and study here,” says the student of Kinjirma Government High School in Sundargarh’s Sadar block.
The Odisha government’s High School Transformation Programme under the 5T initiative has brought a new look and feel to the school, making learning easy and engaging.
According to sources, the school has got a complete facelift with new and attractive classrooms, modern science laboratory, e-library and computer lab, renovated playground, clean drinking water and separate toilets for boys and girls.
Besides, smart classrooms with multimedia content have been set up to make presentation by teachers more lively so as to engage the students.
The teachers too are happy with the transformation in teaching and learning methods. “Children often found it boring when we wrote on the old blackboards. But now that we are teaching them through power point presentations (PPT) and pictures using a smart board, they concentrate and show renewed interest in learning,” said Shrikant Sahu, a teacher at the high school.
Officials said the Sundargarh district administration aims to revamp all government high schools in line with the state government’s transformation programme.
This will be done in a phased manner. In the first leg, 50 high schools have been selected for transformation. These include 10 schools in Rourkela and 40 in other blocks.
“There are many talented students studying in government schools of our state. We can unearth their hidden talents, if we give them facilities at par with modern private schools and if our teachers use latest teaching methodologies, and the parents and others come forward to support them,” said 5T Secretary VK Pandian during a visit to review the programme in Sundargarh district recently.
“Our Chief Minister believes that only when the dreams of the children of the state are realized, we can build a new Odisha and take the state to the next level,” he added.
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