Our budgetary allocation for school education is rupees 7,700 crore, constituting 15% of the total budget spending.  Our commitment to Universal Education is expressed in the increased budgetary allocation, programs like supply of text books, bags, uniforms, mid-day meals, bi-cycles, travel allowance etc.,  Bridge courses like remedial teaching, Ashakirana, Chinnara Angala, Oduve Naanu, Nagu Nagutaa Ganita, etc., are contributing to the quality and quantity aspects.  We have, on an average, one teacher per every 26 children, which is one of the comfortable pupil-teacher ratios in the country.

But we still have short falls.  Our dream to achieve improvements in education quality, school infrastructure and other supportive measures are yet to be realized to our satisfaction.  Active community participation in a few schools has come closer to realizing the above dreams.  In some cases they have gone much further than what is aspired.

Taking this cue, we have begun the process of collaborative approach through ‘School Nurturing Programme’.  It is a programme to link the nurturers and the needy schools for development as centers of excellence, to recognize the efforts of the nurturers and to streamline the process of linking up.

School Nurturing Programme aspires to

1. Create a pool of partners committed to strengthening the education sector

2. Extend support to individuals, organisations and institutions like SDMCs, PRIs & CBOs to work more closely with the schools and

3. Lessen the urban and rural disparities.

1. Choose a school from the list

2. Prepare a plan of action and

3. Enter into a "Memorandum of Understanding"

1. In-service trainings and orientations to teachers

2. Educational tours for teachers and children

3. Sports meet, cultural melas, nature camps, annual days etc.,

4. Personality development camps/trainings

5. Training in art/handicrafts and socially useful productive activities

6. Job orientation programmes

7. NSS, NCC, Scouts & Guides, Science clubs, Junior red cross etc.,

1. Library – Books, reference material, hands on activity kits, audio-visual aids (including player, projector), book shelves, cupboards, furniture, power supply, Room etc.,

2. Laboratory – Equipments, charts, furniture, storage facility, room etc.,

3. Computer Lab – Computers, soft wares, Battery(dual charging), Operator/teacher, training aspects etc.,

4. Material related to Nali-Kali and other hands on education methods.

5. Benches, chair-table, boards, cupboards, maps, charts, etc.,

1. Scholarship

2. Adopting poor and orphan children

3. Running Balwadis in the school premises – room construction, necessary material

4. Providing in kind or cash for prizes for various occasions, reading & writing material, sports equipments

5. Development of slum areas around the school

6. Value addition for Akshara Dasoha-additional food material, plates, rice boilers, dining area etc.,

7. Celebration of National, International & traditional festivals

8. Support to Asha-kirana programme

9. Support home based education for physically challenged – providing necessary equipments & tools, volunteers, medical facilities etc.,

1. Class rooms – construction and renovation

2. Drinking Water Facility – Water tank, piped water supply, taps, etc.,

3. Kitchen – equipments like utensils, stoves, storage facility, water, sink, waste disposal system etc.,

4. Sanitation – Toilets for boys and girls, water facility, sink, cleaning material and etc.,

5. Protection Wall – bio-fencing, wired fencing, compound wall

6. Play Ground – trainings, courts, sports gadgets, etc.,

7. School garden and kitchen garden

Every school is important for us.  And similarly every child is special.  But there are some schools and children who need special attention and care due to various socio-economic, cultural and geographical reasons.  Keeping this in mind we have adopted two pronged approach – Extensive and Intensive.

Extensive approach encourages community participation through donations and activities, in any of the 48,987 government schools.  It gives the flexibility to choose the school and the kind of donation that one wants to make.

1. Income tax exemption under section 80(g) of income tax …

2. More than 1/3 contribution in construction activity will be acknowledged with naming the structure in the name of the nurturer’s choice

3. Display board in the school premises, on the school information wall

4. Publicity & Documentation

5. Rightful place on the departmental portal

6. Acknowledgement on all right occasions