Eight Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar schools to go to state round of clean and green rating

Eight schools from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district will be sent to the state-level competition under the "Swachh and Green Vidyalaya Rating" initiative. The initiative aims to promote cleanliness in schools, safe drinking water, toilet facilities and eco-friendly activities.

A total of 4,033 schools in the district have filed their assessments under the initiative. The secondary education department is now verifying all of them, both online and offline. Of the eight schools to be selected, six will be from rural areas and two from urban areas.

The state Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has issued guidelines for district-level assessment and rating. Following them, the work of assessing schools, inspecting them on site and selecting eligible schools has begun in the district. A district-level committee headed by the district collector has been formed to oversee the process.

Schools are being examined on several criteria. These include safe drinking water, toilets, handwashing arrangements, menstrual hygiene management, dry and wet waste management, upkeep of the school, awareness of cleanliness among children, green activities and facilities for persons with disabilities.

Marks will be fixed by combining the information schools have filled in online with the facilities actually available at the school. Eligible schools will be selected only after the assessment report, available facilities, photographs, supporting evidence and school records have been reviewed.

At the district level, schools with a rating of at least three stars and the highest marks in their group will be considered. However, only schools rated four and five stars will be eligible for nomination at the state level.

Ashwini Lathkar, Education Officer (Secondary), said, "The assessment and verification of the Swachh and Green Vidyalaya Rating are being carried out in a transparent manner. Priority is being given to cleanliness, drinking water, health-related facilities and eco-friendly activities in schools. Eligible schools with good facilities will be selected according to the criteria and nominated for the state-level competition. This initiative will help raise the standing of the district's schools."

The district-level assessment, verification and rating are planned to be completed by October 31. The state-level nominations of the eight selected schools will then be submitted on the online portal between November 1 and 7.