Gandhinagar (Gujarat), India: Under the Mission School of Excellence 2.0, the Gujarat Government will provide financial assistance to selected grant-in-aid secondary and higher secondary schools to enhance their infrastructure facilities, according to the Gujarat Chief Minister‘s Office (CMO). This assistance will be extended in an 80:20 ratio to grant-in-aid secondary and higher secondary schools affiliated with the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board. In line with the National Education Policy 2020, implemented under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the focus has shifted beyond universalising primary education to ensuring that students also complete secondary and higher secondary education. Strengthening school infrastructure is a key step toward achieving this objective. The State Government is driving a transformational change in school education—especially at the primary, secondary, and higher secondary levels—through the Mission School of Excellence initiative, the statement said. A significant proportion of students in Gujarat are enrolled in grant-in-aid secondary and higher secondary schools. Moreover, with the result-oriented steps being taken by the Education Department, there is a strong likelihood of a considerable increase in student enrolment in these schools in the coming years. With visionary planning to meet Gujarat’s future educational needs, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has approved a policy decision to provide infrastructure assistance to grant-in-aid secondary and higher secondary schools, on par with government schools. Under the guidance of Education Minister Kuber Dindor, the State Education Department has launched this scheme for five years starting from the academic year 2025–26. In the broader interest of the education sector and students, the State Government has also responded positively to longstanding demands from school management associations by initiating this supportive measure. As per the approved scheme, eligible grant-in-aid secondary and higher secondary schools selected under this initiative will receive one-time financial assistance ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore, depending on student strength. This assistance is specifically earmarked for strengthening and upgrading physical infrastructure within schools. According to the statement, the infrastructural facilities eligible for assistance under this scheme include construction of missing classrooms, libraries, laboratories, computer labs, vocational rooms, girls’ rooms, and other special-purpose rooms; new toilet blocks for boys, girls, and students with disabilities; provision of drinking water facilities; and other major repair works, including painting, construction of compound walls, and accessible infrastructure necessary for students with disabilities. For such facilities, 80 per cent of the expenditure will be borne by the state government, while the remaining 20 per cent will be contributed by the respective school management committees. Under Mission School of Excellence 2.0, eligible grant-in-aid secondary and higher secondary schools can submit their proposals in the prescribed format to the concerned District Education Officer by September 30, 2025, the statement said. This education-focused decision, taken by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, will help establish student-centric infrastructure in grant-in-aid schools in rural and tribal areas, while also reducing the financial burden on school management. The Education Department has issued a formal resolution regarding this scheme. (ANI)
