Jharkhand's CM Schools of Excellence aspire for better future with quality education

RANCHI: Anjali Singh, a student of a government school in Ranchi, speaks fluent English like children of top private schools in the capital city. She also enjoys modern facilities such as science laboratories, libraries and digital learning tools, in her school on par with any private institutions in the state. Like Anjali, thousands of students mostly from poor backgrounds, who are not able to afford the hefty burden of tuition fees of private schools, are availing similar benefits at CM Schools of Excellence, which was launched by the Jharkhand government, with an objective to empower every child in the state with quality education.

Singh, a student of CM School of Excellence, Bariatu, said, "I like this school because it has several modern facilities like smart boards in class, many games to play, physics, bio and chemistry labs that are very helpful for us." Currently, there are 80 Schools of Excellence operating in the state. The project was launched on May 2 last year where education is imparted to children on methods of English medium schools.

"The children from government schools were unable to compete with students of private schools. But our government is making government schools better than private schools now," Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said at a programme in Dhanbad on September 30. The CM announced that the number of such model schools in Jharkhand would increase to 5,000 from 80 currently so that poor children could compete with students of private schools.

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The institution fosters a vibrant atmosphere, promoting various extracurricular activities ranging from sports to cultural programs that inspire creativity and cultivate a spirit of teamwork among students. Siddhi Vinayak, another student of CM School of Excellence, Bariatu, said, "Our teachers teach us very nicely by showing us videos, we also have gaming periods and a library and several other facilities."

Deepak Kumar, Principal of the school, said, "The concept of this school is for children who cannot afford private schools. This school has well-built infrastructure and facilities like labs, library and games are provided here."

Jharkhand government contemplates imparting vocational education to children of Schools of Excellence in 11 trades such as agriculture, IT, ITES, apparel and make-up and home furnishing, media and entertainment, automotive, tourism and hospitality, beauty and wellness, multi-skilling, electronics and hardware, retail and healthcare in a bid to make them ready for future opportunities, an official said.