No school will face teacher shortage in upcoming academic session: Haryana CM Saini
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Saturday directed officials to ensure that quality education was provided across all schools by maintaining the student-teacher ratio as per the National Education Policy (NEP).
“A comprehensive action plan is being developed to address the school-teacher shortage. As a result, from the upcoming academic session, no school in the state will face a teacher shortage.”
The CM was presiding over a meeting with officers of the Elementary Education, School Education and Higher Education Departments late Friday evening. Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda also attended the meeting.
Saini directed that a comprehensive plan should be prepared by rationalising the arrangement of teachers in schools so that if there was a shortage of teachers in any school, it could be met. He emphasised that there was no actual shortage of teachers in Haryana, but rather, the allocation of teachers should be adjusted according to the number of students. He further stressed that all necessary arrangements should be completed before the beginning of the new academic session.
The CM emphasised the need to build public confidence in government schools to encourage more children to enrol and receive education there. He reiterated the government's commitment to providing quality education to every child.
In line with the NEP, he said the Bhagavad Gita should be included in the curriculum up to Class VIII to instil moral values in students.
To ensure holistic development, the CM stressed the importance of making sports and cleanliness compulsory in schools. Additionally, he called for enhancing the skills of teachers so they could effectively adopt new teaching methods. He also directed that basic facilities such as drinking water, toilets, and overall cleanliness be maintained in schools and colleges.
Saini stated that the Haryana Government had established Model Sanskriti Schools at the block level, which are affiliated with the CBSE Board. These schools offer education in mathematics and science, along with English medium. Due to high demand and competition for admission, he emphasised the need to increase the number of Model Sanskriti Schools at the block level.
While reviewing the CM’s announcements, Saini directed the officials that all pending development works be expedited. He emphasised that a specific time limit should be set for each task, and work must be completed within that time frame. He warned that unnecessary delays would not be tolerated under any circumstances. The CM asked the Chief Secretary to authorise XEN-level officers from other departments to handle the tendering-related processes for the engineering wing of the Education Department. He also stressed that strict action should be taken against contractors who failed to complete their work within the stipulated time.
The CM said every child attending school should be monitored to track their future educational path, including which institution they enrol in after completing Class XII.
While reviewing the Higher Education Department, the Chief Minister directed officials to submit a report on the facilities, including infrastructure, in every college, so that any deficiencies can be addressed promptly. He also emphasised the need to develop a framework for arranging competitive exam preparation through smart classrooms in colleges, ensuring that children from rural areas had access to better resources for their exam preparations.
A large reading room to be set up in Panchkula
The Chief Minister stated that the present state government was committed to setting up reading rooms in cities to provide quality reading material to students. As part of this initiative, a large reading room should be established in Panchkula on priority, ensuring that students from Panchkula did not need to travel to Chandigarh, he said.
