CS maps out modern makeover plan for schools to achieve excellence

Jammu, Apr 20: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo on Sunday asserted upon improving learning outcomes and implementation of different schemes aiming upgradation of the education system across Jammu & Kashmir. Atal Dulloo reviewed the status of school education across the Union Territory during a high level meeting.
The Chief Secretary emphasised the need for integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the learning ecosystem. He directed the School Education Department to develop an AI-based learning module that would offer customized lessons to students based on their individual assessments, thereby addressing their weak areas more effectively. He suggested seeking technical assistance from the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) for this initiative.
While taking stock of enrollment figures at the primary and middle school levels across the government and private institutions, Dulloo expressed concern over the stagnation in student enrollment in government schools. He noted that despite significant higher investments and nearly three times more government primary schools compared to private ones, enrolment figures remain nearly the same. He called for a comprehensive study to understand this trend and come up with actionable recommendations to reverse it.
To enhance governance and real-time monitoring, the Chief Secretary directed the department to create a comprehensive dashboard providing a bird’s eye view of each school. This digital platform should include data on class-wise student enrolment, availability of teachers, results from periodic assessments, and infrastructure status, enabling data-driven decision-making related to imparting of quality education in these schools.
The Chief Secretary took note of the status of availability of essential utilities such as water supply, electricity, washrooms and other infrastructural facilities.
He advised the department to explore mechanisms for deploying vocational and subject-specific teachers in schools with critical requirements. He recommended utilizing provisions under the Samagra Shiksha scheme or revisiting the freezing period associated with the recruitment of general line teachers to ensure adequate staffing.
On the occasion, ACS, SED, Shantmanu, detailed out a comprehensive progress report on implementation of education related schemes in the UT. He highlighted significant strides made across various dimensions of the education sector.
He also informed that establishment of 45 Atal Tinkering Labs, 159 STEM Labs and 188 Robotics Labs are underway. Additionally, sports equipment, green initiatives like vermicomposting and clean-up drives have been incorporated to make the school environment more amenable towards imparting inclusive education in these schools.
About implementation of NEP 2020, pre-primary classes started in 15,550 schools; “Phoolwari” activity books developed for the students enrolled there. For this purpose, 16,000 teachers were trained in FLN (Foundational Literacy and Numeracy) under the Vidya Pravesh module.
More than 1.14 lakh employees now mark attendance via the JK Attendance App. Under the NISHTHA program, nearly 1.5 lakh teachers have received training across various modules. Two DIETs (District Institutes of Education and Training) have been selected for transformation into Centres of Excellence with smart classrooms, research facilities, and ICT integration.