412 govt schools to be upgraded as Ambedkar Adarsh Shalas in Phase 1 of 1,500-school plan

Nagpur: The state govt decided to upgrade 412 govt schools across Maharashtra as Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Adarsh Shalas in the first phase of a broader plan to transform 1,500 govt schools, an initiative conceived by school education state minister Dr Pankaj Bhoyar under the guidance of CM Devendra Fadnavis and school education minister Dadaji Bhuse.Nagpur district will see 11 schools upgraded. Among other Vidarbha districts, Wardha leads with 17, followed by Chandrapur and Yavatmal with 12 each, Buldhana with 14, Amravati with 11, Gondia with 8, Gadchiroli and Bhandara with 6 each, and Akola and Washim with 4 each. Nashik has the highest allocation statewide at 38, followed by Pune at 25.The selected schools — drawn from Samuh Sadan Kendra schools, PM Shri schools and Vidyaniketan schools — will be equipped with physical and educational infrastructure, with funds earmarked for each. Govt and local body schools under the scheme have been permitted to run classes up to Class 10 to ensure continuity of schooling within the same institution. Zilla Parishad chief executive officers have been made responsible for preparing detailed development plans for each school, subject to approval by the education commissioner.Each school will be equipped with dedicated facilities for girl students, including a Pink Room — a separate rest space for girls in Class 7 to Class 12 during menstruation — along with toilets and clean drinking water. One school per district from among the Adarsh Shalas will additionally be designated a Sports Prabodhini to promote sports alongside academics.The scheme follows the Mukhyamantri Vigyan Wari initiative, launched earlier to build scientific interest among students, and is aimed at raising the standard of govt schools to serve students from low-income and rural backgrounds.