News
PCB to construct one new school and renovate all existing eight
The PCB (Pune Cantonment Board) is all set to increase its enrolment numbers by adding a new school building and renovating its existing 8 schools. A plot has already been identified for permanently shifting the Tagore school due to sewage plant construction at the existing site.
In order to increase enrolment numbers, the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) is all set to build a new school and repair the existing 8. Until the repair works are concluded safely, the board will shift the students to a new building.
PCB already runs 5 primary schools, 3 high schools and 1learning centre for children with mental and physical disabilities. About 5,000 students, hailing from under-privileged and low-income group families are enrolled in these schools. However, lately, PCB has been under pressure to carry out renovation of some of its properties, including a school building in Bhimpura area, Camp, which has been lying vacant and dilapidated.
"Veer Sawarkar School is in a bad condition and has been unused for over 15 years. If we refurbish the building, we can admit more students and take some pressure off the other schools," a senior PCB official said about the Bhimpura School.
PCB has estimated an expenditure of about Rs 2.5 crore for refurbishment of the said building. "The army authorities, including garrison engineers, have scrutinized our estimates and building plans of the refurbishment and the cost has increased from the original estimate of Rs 2.29 crore. The Board has approved all estimates and we will send it back to the authorities for sanction," the official said.
Lack of alternative school buildings has left the Board non-plussed in the issue of shifting students of the Ravindranath Tagore School on Bootee Street. Hence, the need to construct a new building altogether for which PCB has already identified land near the Cantonment store yard. The new building here will be the permanent address of the Tagore school.
"Shifting students of the Ravindranath Tagore School is absolutely necessary because of the construction of the sewage treatment plant adjacent to the school building. While new building needs to be constructed, the students have to be accommodated to other schools. As of now, we have zeroed in on the Ambedkar School near Solapur bazaar, where the students will be shifted. The 2 school's authorities will decide when the shifting will happen", says an education department official of the PCB.
Image used for representational purpose only.