HRD Min plans students exchange event between city and village schools

The HRD Ministry is working on an initiative involving student exchange programmes between large and reputed city schools and those in villages to raise standards of learning in the latter.

The Ministry has already sought a list of “willing” schools from organisations like the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and CBSE, so that around 100 rural and urban schools can be clubbed in the initial phase, it is learnt. The Smriti Irani-led Ministry has also written to state governments asking them to identify some urban and rural schools for programme and is planning to begin “pilots” in some of the states like Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.

Under the scheme, students from rural schools will visit those in urban areas for a week and vice versa, while both institutions may also execute projects, which could range from story-telling to problem solving in various fields together.

“The idea is to link well functioning private or government schools in urban or semi-urban areas for interaction and exchange of experience. Besides providing a new kind of learning to students, it will also create a support system for schools,” a senior official said.