Centre to set up 355 schools in state

HYDERABAD: As a Christmas gift for students, the central government announced on Friday that it would set up 355 higher secondary model schools with modern amenities in educationally backward mandals across the state in the next two years.The ministry ofsecondary education has sanctioned Rs 1,200 crore for the purpose. Each of theschools will be built with a budget of Rs 3 crore. An additional sum of Rs 75lakh each will be sanctioned for maintenance.According to directorof school education Dr D Satyanarayana, the funds will reach the department'scoffers in six months. "The work will begin soon after we get the funds," hesaid.Satyanarayana said the schools would be set up in the Kendriya Vidyalaya model where education will be given till Class XII. "The medium of instruction will be English and students will be chosen from the most socially and economically backward sections of society," he said. The schools are part of the 6,000 model schools for which funds were sanctioned by the state government in budget 2010.