Govt’s model school formula a hit

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 16

The unique initiative taken by the state government to convert Government Primary School at Bahri in Dharmpur of Mandi district into a model school has started yielding desired results.

The idea behind the model school was to prove the fact that government schools could also impart quality education, besides addressing the issue of migration of families from villages to cities for quality education.

The school has 11 teachers now. At the time of its takeover, the number was just two. Seven teachers have been deployed by the Education Department as per norms of the Right to Education Act and the remaining four have been hired by the Dharampur Adarsh Gramin Vidyalaya Samiti, running the school.

For the first time, nursery classes have been started in a government primary school, the medium of instruction has been changed from Hindi to English and as a result the number of students which was 18 in 2015 has swelled to 300 at present. In the very first year, one student from the school went to Navodaya Vidyalaya and another to Sainik School.

Physical education and music have been added to the subject list and more sections have been created so that more attention can be paid to weak students. A sum of Rs 50 lakh has been spent on the development and of the infrastructure.

“Students have been provided congenial atmosphere for proper growth, mid-day meals are served on the dining table, they wear tracksuits on Fridays and Saturdays and the medium has been changed from Hindi to English,” said chairman of the society Chandershekhar.

There has been a significant improvement in the learning levels of students. The model is a success and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan wants the model to be studied.

“We always wanted our kids to study in a good school, speak fluent English, indulge in games and other activities, but were not able to afford the high fee charged by private schools. With the success of the experiment, our dreams have come true. The school provides all facilities and free education,” said Rupak, a parent.