Ensure equitable participation of girls in education, says UT Chief Secretary

Expressing concern over the low enrolment of girl students in schools, UT Chief Secretary H Rajesh Prasad today directed the School Education Department to intensify community outreach and awareness campaigns to ensure equitable participation of girls in education.

The Chief Secretary today chaired a review meeting of the department to assess key performance indicators, policy implementation and ongoing educational reforms. Education Secretary Prerna Puri and School Education Director Harsuhinder Pal Singh Brar gave a detailed presentation, highlighting the progress made in literacy, infrastructure and innovation and the implementation of the National Education Policy-2020.

The Chief Secretary comprehensively reviewed the department’s efforts towards strengthening school infrastructure and improving governance systems. The Chief Secretary directed the department to ensure timely completion of ongoing projects, with special emphasis on effective monitoring of learning outcomes.

During the review, he emphasised the need to expedite the filling of vacant posts of teachers to maintain teaching continuity and quality learning. He further stressed the importance of continuous evaluation of learning outcomes through Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Achievement assessments and significantly improving performance in the National Achievement Survey. He instructed that continuous monitoring be undertaken to ensure better learning outcomes and suggested exploring innovative measures to enhance the quality of education.

The Chief Secretary also directed that holistic performance cards for all students to be introduced and monitored. Laying stress on teacher training, he directed 100% completion of mandated training programmes to enhance instructional quality and that the modules of Vidya Samiksha Kendra be implemented effectively, especially for tracking out-of-school children and assessing the education imparted to students with special needs.

The Chief Secretary reviewed the department’s recent inclusive initiatives – the UDAAN Project (free coaching to meritorious students from government schools), the Adopt-A-School Mentorship Programme and the Olympic Values Education Programme. He directed the department to explore the possibility of including a dome theatre-cum-planetarium in all schools, where it is feasible to promote experiential learning.

The Chief Secretary directed the department for continuous efforts to make Chandigarh a model education hub. Ongoing projects include establishing a Sainik School and expediting a health education centre at Government Model High School-22 in collaboration with the Rotary International.