Srinagar, July 09: Principal Secretary of the School Education Department (SED), Alok Kumar (IRS), chaired a meeting to assess the advancements made under the centrally sponsored Scheme, Samagra Shiksha.
The meeting, held at Srinagar, was attended by key officials from the department, including the Project Director Samagra Shiksha, Deep Raj, and Directors of School Education for Jammu and Kashmir.
During the meeting, Project Director Deep Raj presented a comprehensive report highlighting the achievements in the year 2022-23 and outlined the roadmap for upcoming projects in 2023-24. He announced that 75 per cent of the allocated funds, amounting to Rs. 1377 crore, were utilized for implementing various initiatives under Samagra Shiksha across the Union Territory. Notably, 800 civil works were completed at a cost of Rs 160 crore, surpassing the previous year’s record of 343 completed works. Additionally, Library Books worth Rs. 17 crores were procured and distributed to educational institutions to enhance students’ reading abilities.
Deep Raj further informed the attendees that the scheme had successfully expanded vocational education from 553 to 1,067 schools, encompassing 14 trades, thus contributing to increased employability among students. Moreover, he emphasized the provision of waterproof tents for seasonal centers and whole school safety manuals to ensure access and improve learning outcomes in alignment with the National Education Policy.
Principal Secretary Alok Kumar, while reviewing the components of Samagra Shiksha, engaged with all Chief Education Officers (CEOs) on various issues. The discussions encompassed strategies for delivering quality education, enhancing learning outcomes, and addressing social and gender disparities in school education. Alok Kumar emphasized the importance of equity, inclusion, and catering to the needs of children with special requirements. While acknowledging the improvement in educational indicators over the past two years, he stressed the need to bridge the gap to meet national benchmarks.
Alok Kumar expressed concern over the drop in gross and net enrolment ratios from primary to upper primary levels, calling for concerted efforts to reverse this trend. He held individual teachers responsible for excessive dropout rates and urged them to take measures to minimize dropouts at all grade levels. Reducing the dropout rate is crucial to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal outlined in the National Education Policy by 2030.
The Principal Secretary commended the teachers and stakeholders for enrolling over 130,000 students across the Union Territory during the ongoing enrollment drive. He urged the CEOs to closely monitor all activities of Samagra Shiksha within their respective jurisdictions and ensure a 100% retention rate, particularly among girls, to realize the vision of a developed nation, “Viksit Bharat.”
Alok Kumar highlighted the significance of the NIPUN (National Initiative Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) program in achieving a 100% literacy rate. He underlined the development of a feedback mechanism through the SAMIKSHA App, enabling students to provide feedback on teachers and schools. The Principal Secretary also emphasized the importance of using the JK Attendance App for marking attendance, ensuring regularity and punctuality.
The meeting extensively discussed the provision of essential facilities in government schools, including electricity, drinking water, toilets, and ramps. Principal Secretary Alok Kumar issued directives to ensure 100 per cent availability of these facilities in all government schools by March 2024.
In a subsequent visit to HSS Rawalpoora, Principal Secretary, Alok Kumar inaugurated the AAGHAZ lab, an astrophysics lab developed as a model lab by Samagra Shiksha in collaboration with IIT Kanpur. He announced the establishment of 376 such labs across the Union Territory, enabling students to explore their talents and foster a scientific temperament. Alok Kumar urged officials to equip school labs with state-of-the-art equipment, as it would improve the quality of education and expose students to the latest technological advancements.
The event was attended by Shabir Hussain, CEO Srinagar, Prof. Anurag from IIT Kanpur, Anjum Raja, Dy. CEO, Fayaz Ahmed ASC, and other senior officers from the School Education Department.
