Preparations to welcome school children in the new academic session are underway in Chhattisgarh at full-swing.
As per the directives of Chief Minister Raman Singh, Shala Pravesh Utsav (School Admission Festival) will be organised in cities and villages of the State with a slogan of 'School Aa Pade Bar- Jingi la Gade Bar' from June 16 to 30 in order to ensure school admission of each and every child of age group 6 to 14 years, officials stated.
All the students, taking admission in schools on June 16 will be accorded warm welcome in a traditional manner.
local public representatives will also be invited in schools for welcoming the students. On this day, special Mid-day meal will be prepared for children with public-participation.
Sports and cultural programmes will also be organized to encourage children for coming to school. New students will be provided free books and uniforms on the day of admission.
School Education Minister Kedar Kashyap has instructed departmental officials to ensure preparations at district, Tehsil, block, town and Gram-level for successfully conducting this drive of Shala Pravesh Utsav.
Raipur-based State Project Office of Rajiv Gandhi Shiksha Mission has issued circular to officials the concerned. This circular has been issued to all District Collectors, CEOs of Jila Panchayats, District Education Officers (DEOs), Assistant Commissioners Tribal Caste Development Department, District Mission Coordinators of Rajiv Gandhi Shiksha Mission, Block Education Officers (BEOs), Principals of all District Institutions of Education and Training (DIET), Block and City Resource Coordinators.
The circular reads general guidelines on 26 points for organizing Shala Pravesh Utsav. The general guidelines also include the instructions to organize special Gram Sabhas in all the Gram Panchayats, between June 20 to June 30 wherein pledge to ensure school admission of each and every child of age group 6-14 years will be taken.
The guidelines state that each and every school should be cleaned and white-washed before the commencement of school admission drive under 'Shala Pravesh Utsav 2015'. For this purpose, School Fund or Renovation Fund etc should be utilised.
In all the villages, local Kotwars will spread the word about Shala Pravesh Utsav on June 14-15 and request people to enrol their children's name in schools. Villagers will also be requested to enrol other illiterate and school drop-out children of the village in schools. Special event will be organised for collective admission of children enrolled in Aanganwadis, who have completed five years of age, in the first standard of school.
Alongside, initiative will be taken to contact and convince parents of the girl beneficiaries of Sabala Yojana and Kishori Shakti Yojana, who have dropped out of school, for re-admission of their daughters to schools.
Guidelines further state that those children of age group 7 to 14 years, who were deprived of admission for some or the other reasons, should also be given admission in schools in accordance with their age.
It has been stated in the general guidelines that with the help of social welfare organizations, families living in slum areas should be contacted and their children should also be given admission in schools. Children of National Child labour Project should be given admission in special residential and non-residential training centres, along with school admission, so as to connect them with mainstream of education. Families, who are often travelling in search of work, will be identified and special scheme will be chalked out for their children.
These children will also be given admission in ashram schools, dormitories, special residential or non-residential training centres. Children of labourers deployed in brick kilns will also be identified and given admission in nearby schools or residential, non-residential training centres or schools equipped with dormitories.