45 municipal schools in Vizag to be developed under Smart Campus project

As many as 45 municipal schools in Vizag have been chosen to be developed under the Smart Campus project. The project has been estimated to cost around Rs 65 crore, out of which, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) will receive Rs 52 crore as the Cities Investment to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) grant for the project.

Reportedly, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), selected the project – ‘Modernising of GVMC schools into smart campuses’ to be implemented in Vizag. This initiative is aimed at upgrading public schools as smart campuses to create modern education infrastructure for every stratum of society. GVMC Commissioner, G Srijana, informed that out of the 147 municipal schools in Vizag, 50 schools are already being upgraded by the Andhra Pradesh state government under the Nadu–Nedu scheme in the first phase. In the latest, 45 more schools have been shortlisted for the CITIIS programme, she added.

The GVMC has appointed AECOM as the project management consultant. The agency will help the civic body in studying the conditions of municipal schools in Vizag and prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the development of these institutions. As part of the pilot project, HB Colony Primary School has been selected to be developed as a model school. The GVMC Commissioner said that designs are being prepared in an innovative manner which will be later be discussed with the school development committee and school management as well as parents for their inputs and feedback.

Sharing further details about the project, she said that meetings were convened at MVP Colony, Pedawaltair, Resapuvanipalem, Venkojipalem, NGGO’s Colony, Ganeswara Patasala, and Achiyyammapeta Primary Schools. Reportedly, similar meetings will be conducted in the remaining shortlisted schools too.