Jammu, Feb 17: Rakesh Magotra, the Project Director of Samagra Shiksha, conducted a comprehensive tour of several schools in Jammu City to assess educational progress and advocate the integration of innovative labs in government schools.
Accompanied by Deputy Director Planning Bilal Rashid, Chief Education Officer Jammu Jagdeep Padha, and Coordinator Quality Ajeet Sharma, the Director began the visit at High School Bathindi, a PM SHRI School. He inspected the ongoing construction work amounting to Rs 56 lakh and urged the executing agency engineers of PWD to expedite the work, particularly the finishing touches, within 20 days.
Magrota instructed the commencement of construction for a library room, for which authorization had already been granted. He commended the teamwork at PM SHRI School, suggesting it become a model institution for neighbouring schools.
Deputy Director Planning informed that approximately 280 major and minor works are underway in Jammu district and are expected to be completed within 6-9 months. He called for upgrading civil infrastructure under the Access and Retention component of Samagra Shiksha.
Magotra then visited GHS Gandhinagar, Jammu, where an Astro Physics Lab had been established under Samagra Shiksha to foster scientific curiosity among students. He interacted with students and teachers and emphasised proper resource utilization under the leadership of Dr Piyush Singla, Administrative Secretary, School Education Department.
He said the mission of Samagra Shiksha is to uplift the educational landscape in Jammu and Kashmir, and encouraged the institutions to become hubs for other schools and foster exposure to new technologies.
The Project Director underscored the significance of training sessions to empower teachers in guiding students through astronomy and space-related topics. He emphasized hands-on experiences provided by state-of-the-art instruments in the labs.
Continuing the tour, Rakesh visited Girls Higher Secondary School Bakshi Nagar, where a Virtual Reality Lab had been established in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. He encouraged teachers to familiarize themselves with the technology to promote experiential learning.
Lastly, he visited Shri Ranbir Higher Secondary School, and stressed on nurturing pre-primary students under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). He highlighted the importance of experiential learning aligned with NEP 2020 and reaffirmed Samagra Shiksha’s commitment to promoting quality education and innovation across the union territory.
The visit concluded with an inspection of educational facilities and discussions on enhancing the learning environment, with the Project Director stressing the schools play their role as catalysts for educational advancement. He also advocated for collaboration between institutions to create a supportive network for students.
