The Education Minister Arvind Pandey has expressed displeasure at the slow progress on his initiative to make Government schools of the State free from sitting mats for the students.
In his endeavour to provide basic furniture in all Government schools the Minister had roped in private companies, Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) and Non Government Organisations (NGO) and urged them to provide furniture to the schools from the funds of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes. Pandey got annoyed when he took a review meeting with the department officials and representatives of the PSUs on the issue on Tuesday at state secretariat.
At the start of the meeting the additional Project Director (APD), Mukul Kumar Sati presented a progress report of the project. He informed that the about three lakh primary, 70000 upper primary students and 2.25 lakh secondary students are yet to be provided furniture.
The Minister reminded that first meeting on the issue was convened on April 11 this year and very little progress has taken place in last five month which is cause of worry.
The minister requested the representatives of the industry to provide furniture to the students and said that it is our moral duty and right of the students. He also reminded that in the first meeting everyone assured support on the project to make the school free from sitting mats. He also reviewed district wise progress of the project and directed officials to expedite work.
The secretary school education Chandra Shekhar Bhatt said that the Chief Education Officers (CEO) would act as nodal officers of the project in all the districts and the District Education Officers (DEO) Basic and secondary would provide information to them.
The minister also expressed dissatisfaction on slow pace of supply of furniture from the ONGC and directed the department officials to be in touch with the officers of the company for success of the project. Pandey said that he would hold talks with the Union ministers of petroleum, power and commerce on the issue. He said that proposals at the level of districts should be submitted to the designated agencies within 15 days.
In the meeting the representatives of the industry assured that every possible help would be provided by them on the project. The director General school education Alok Shekhar Tiwari said that the PSU , NGOs and industrial houses should keep the schools in their list of priorities under their CSR activities.