Chennai: Greater Chennai Corporation school students will soon receive training in STEM, fashion technology, and spoken English from experts.
Utilizing the 20 crore allotted in this budget for education, GCC plans to form expert-teacher mentor groups, who will first be trained by professionals on various subjects. “These teachers will be paid 700 a day to train one class,” mayor Priya said. GCC has more than a lakh students studying in its 430 schools.
The corporation is also focusing on building reading habits and creating awareness among younger students by holding newspaper-reading drives and quiz contests in 211 schools, backed by 86.7 lakh.
The mayor said digital boards would be installed in senior classrooms across 81 higher secondary schools (64.8 lakh), and 414 kindergarten classrooms will be equipped with colourful displays (1.66 crore). “Interactive learning helps kids better,” said the mayor.
The corporation will launch spoken English and interview training for Classes IX–XII, with 20 lakh allotted. Power reliability is also addressed with the 4.7 crore allocated for generators in 52 higher and senior secondary schools.
The mayor added that qualified English teachers from Management & Entrepreneurship and Professional Skills Council will be brought in to teach spoken and written English to school students.
Sports too has received significant attention, with the appointment of 141 temporary physical education teachers and the provision of sports gear across 105 schools, totalling over 3 crore in allocations. Additionally, students participating in state-level sports competitions will receive travel and meal support, costing 62.55 lakh, along with sports shoes worth 25 lakh for young athletes.