MAHARASHTRA Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday claimed that schools run by Zilla Parishads in the state are better than 90 per cent of private schools. The negative perception about ZP schools has largely disappeared, he said after inaugurating a digital laboratory at a government-run school in Raigad district. The State Government was creating similar facilities in schools across Maharashtra to make students digitally literate, Fadnavis said. “I can say with certainty that the education imparted in Zilla Parishad schools is better than that provided by 90 per cent of private schools,” the chief minister said. There was a time when ZP schools ran from dilapidated buildings and lacked basic infrastructure, but most of them today are comparable to private schools and in some cases better than them, he claimed.

 

“The stigma attached to Zilla Parishad schools has now ended. In many districts, the number of students shifting from private schools to Zilla Parishad schools has increased,” Fadnavis said. The newly-inaugurated digital laboratory would provide audio-visual course material for all classes and also facilitate online examinations, he said. “Teachers will be able to use it for teaching, and online examinations will also be held there. In today’s digital age, this is an excellent tool for making students digitally literate,” Fadnavis added. Value education has also been introduced in ZP schools to familiarise children with the constitutional values and their duties as citizens, the chief minister said. “Our children should know the constitutional values. They should understand not only their rights but also their duties. Awareness about cleanliness and the environment should also be created,” he said.