Punjab News Express/SK.Vyas
CHANDIGARH : Haryana Government has decided to introduce new textbooks with emphasis on activity-based learning in the primary classes from the ensuing academic session.This was disclosed by Haryana Governor, Kaptan Singh Solanki, who was delivering the Governor’s Address on the first day of the Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha here today.
The Governor said that with a view to improve learning outcomes, corrective steps have been taken by the State Government, which launched the Quality Improvement Programme. This programme lays special emphasis on classroom transactions. In order to bridge the learning gaps of students, remedial teaching has been started in around 3, 200 primary schools. This would soon be scaled up to cover all government primary schools. He said that the State Government aimed at imparting value-based education in the government schools.
He said that the Haryana Government had laid emphasis on vocationalisation of secondary education by implementing the National Skill Qualification Framework in order to enhance employability skills of students in 490 schools, having 41, 570 students on their rolls.
He said that on the occasion of Republic Day, ‘Beti Ka Salam, Rashtra Ke Naam’ was celebrated throughout the State, wherein the most-qualified girl of the village, along with her family, was invited to hoist the National Flag in the school. She was also given the honorary membership of the School Management Committee. This programme got a massive positive response from the community.
He said that under the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ programme, government schools also celebrated the birthday of the girls who were born in February as ‘Kanya Janmotsava’. The mothers of such baby girls were invited to participate in the celebration. Every third Tuesday of the month is being celebrated as ‘Beti Ka Janamdin-School mein Abhinandan’ for all girl students whose birthdays fall in the given month, he added.
The Governor said that the Haryana Government has ensured that all the government schools have at least one separate functional toilet for boys and girls. The Government is committed towards ‘digital empowerment’ and is developing a robust Management Information System (MIS) to ensure transparency and accountability in school administration. A mobile app has also been launched to monitor the Mid-day Meal Scheme to ensure better transparency.
Solanki said, “Providing equitable and universal access to higher education is a major thrust of my Government. During this year, five new government colleges have been started and No Objection Certificates have been issued for opening three new self-financing law colleges and 23 self-financing degree colleges. A Bill has been passed for establishment of a private university at Bahadurgarh. In order to address the shortage of teaching staff in government colleges, my Government has decided to fill up the 1, 647 vacant posts of Assistant Professors in various subjects.”
The Governor said that at present, 32 out of 110 government colleges and 35 out of 97 privately-managed aided colleges are exclusively for girls. He said that the Government was committed to opening more such colleges so as to ensure greater access to girls in higher education. Last year, more than 2.47 lakh applicants filled their application forms free of cost online for different undergraduate and post-graduate courses in the government colleges, out of whom, 1.72 lakh students were admitted through the online initiative in all government colleges of the State.
Under the ‘Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan’, the State has been sanctioned an amount of Rs 132.54 crore for the remaining plan period. This covers five universities under infrastructural grants to universities, one college for upgradation to model degree college, 17 government colleges under infrastructural grants to colleges, two hostels for girls under equity initiatives and for a Human Resource Development Centre of Guru Jambeshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar for faculty improvement.
He said that the State Government had decided to establish Lord Krishna Ayurveda University at Kurukshetra to provide quality education in Indian systems of medicine, including Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy, Yoga and Naturopathy and other such disciplines.
He said that the State Government had approached the Centre to set up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences in village Manethi, district Rewari to provide an opportunity for both under-graduate and post-graduate medical education along with nursing and para-medical training.
The Governor said that the Government had decided to complete the process of admissions through centralised online counselling even for courses like General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) and Multi Purpose Health Workers (MPHW) in various institutions. He said that supportive supervision has been started to monitor and maintain standards of quality education in nursing courses.
He said that the Haryana Government intended to construct a ‘Golden Jubilee House’ to accommodate various health-related regulatory councils such as the Haryana Medical Council, Haryana Nurses Registration Council, Haryana State Dental Council, Haryana State Pharmacy Council, Council of Homeopathic System of Medicine, Board of Ayurvedic and Unani Systems of Medicine and the Haryana Medical Education Society.
He said that the Government intended to extend ‘Mareej Mitra’ scheme already initiated on pilot basis in PGIMS, Rohtak to all medical colleges in the State to facilitate patients in availing various healthcare facilities in a hassle-free and smooth manner. The process of computerisation of hospitals attached to medical colleges has also been initiated in PGIMS, Rohtak and BPS Government Medical College for Women, Khanpur Kalan, Sonepat.
He said that the State Government had launched the Haryana Skill Development Mission on July 14, 2015 with an aim to empower youth to take part in the economic and all-round growth of Haryana and India, through short-term skill training in modern and market-driven professions. The mission envisages providing skill training under Skilling, Up-skilling, Re-skilling of Youth and Assessment (SURYA) Scheme. It is facilitating training under Dissemination of Applied Knowledge and Skill in Haryana (DAKSHA) Scheme in sectors like apparel, textiles, security, healthcare, automotive, retail, banking and financial services, logistics, electronics, construction, plastic manufacturing, green jobs and food processing with duly-empanelled training providers.
He said, “The Mission offers skill training in association with industries through their CSR by matching the industry contribution. A Skill Development University shall be established soon. Eight Government Polytechnics are being established at Umri (Kurukshetra), Jattal (Panipat), Dhangar (Fatehabad), Hathnikund (Yamunanagar), Neemka (Faridabad) Shergarh (Kaithal), Indri and Malab (Mewat) and the same will soon be made operational. There is a proposal for construction of Government Polytechnic at Sadhaura in district Yamunanagar. There is a proposal for construction of Government Polytechnic-cum-Multi Skill Development Centre at Sector-26, Panchkula and village Dhamlawas in district Rewari. In all upcoming Government Polytechnics, short-term skill courses will be offered. A new Engineering College is being established at Nilokheri in district Karnal. The Diploma courses under the Department of Technical Education, and affiliated to Haryana State Board of Technical Education, have been declared equivalent to that to 10+2 course of Senior Secondary Level for the purpose of admission to the under graduate courses where 10+2 qualification is the eligibility criteria.”
The Governor said that the Haryana Government intended to popularise science among all school students. A new scheme ‘Setting up of Science Clubs’ in the Government Model Senior Secondary Sanskriti Schools has been launched in October, 2015. These Science Clubs would play an important role in inculcating scientific temper and awareness amongst the students and would provide an opportunity to experience science-related activities in an interactive, informative and informal way so as to extend and enhance the theory lessons in science taught in the classrooms.
He said that ‘National Technology Day’ would be celebrated in the technical and engineering institutes of Haryana on May 11 every year with the objective of generating awareness among the students, academia and the general public about the importance of technology and its utility for the overall development of the country.
The Haryana Government is also developing a geo-portal under the Haryana Spatial Data Infrastructure (HSDI) project in collaboration with Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG), Gandhinagar, Gujarat to make available geo-spatial data to all the line departments for their planning needs. It will access the spatial data from all departments and organisations and put it in the form of inter-operable layers for access by all the users. The geo-portal will provide the latest authentic spatial data for the planning needs of various user departments.
A pilot project called Udaan carried out in Sohna Tehsil has generated detailed information that is proving useful in tackling many critical issues related to urban planning. Under the Project, images with 5cm resolution have been acquired using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), popularly known as a drone. This type of detailed mapping is not possible through available remote sensing satellites and is major step forward in harnessing technology for development. The Government intends to use the experience gained in the ‘Udaan Project’ for detailed digital mapping of all cities.