Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad   

`Equip'ping schools to clear hurdles

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JULY 19. Two British institutions, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) and the Centre for British Teachers (CfBT) on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on Enabling Quality Improvement Programmes in Schools (EQUIP), to be piloted in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and provide support for `school improvement' and financial assistance to private schools run for children from low-income families. The project will be extended to other parts of the country later.

The initiative, to be launched on November 14, 2004, was announced at a function here by the School Education Minister, N. Rajyalakshmi. EQUIP will allow private schools for poor children to apply for micro-finance from HSBC. Prior to the loan sanction, CfBT will conduct a baseline study to evaluate the potential of the school for improvement.

Schools that are approved by CfBT will receive loans for creating infrastructure such as laboratories, libraries, child-friendly furniture, teaching aids, learning material, sports equipment and toilets. These schools will have to take up a CfBT-designed School Improvement Plan that will assist them improve their capabilities. The progress will be monitored through an Education Management Information System (EMIS).

The HSBC India CEO and Group General Manager, Niall S.K. Booker, the HSBC Education Trust CEO, Dame Mary Richardson, the CfBT chairman, Andrew Stuart, the CfBT principal international consultant, Michael Latham and Andhra Pradesh Principal Secretary (Education), I.V. Subba Rao, also spoke.

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