30 Nov : Seven states are in advanced stage of implementing the newly launched Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) scheme which seeks to improve the quality of secondary education in the country and check the drop-out rate.
The project approval board for RMSA has approved the proposals of Chhattishgarh, Kerala, Mizoram, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh earlier this month, HRD Ministry sources said.
The proposals worth Rs 652 crore, approved by the board, involves Rs 489 crore of central assistance.
As per the plans, 871 new secondary schools will be set up in the seven states.
A maximum 300 schools will be set up in Uttar Pradesh, while 280 will be established in Chhattishgarh, sources said.
Nearly 1.27 lakh teachers will be provided training for the purpose while about 20,000 existing secondary schools will get grants for library and labs, sources said.
The government has received proposals of 13 other states. These proposals will come for consideration at the next meeting of the board, sources said.
The scheme, launched last year, also aims at achieving a general enrolment target of 75 per cent for classes IX-X within five years from the existing 52.26 per cent by providing secondary school within a reasonable distance of every habitation.