PATIALA: Education Secretary, Krishan Kumar, has not only lent new dimension but also come forward to give personal touch to the " Enrollment Drive" currently underway in Punjab. He visited village SaidKheri in Rajpura subdivision of the district on Satuday evening. The Education Secretary, using the public address system of the local Gurudwara Sahib, himself made an appeal to the residents to get their wards admitted in the government schools.
Later, the Education Secretary, accompanied by the village Sarpanch, Paramjit Singh, BPEO, Balwinder Kumar, Headmaster Harpreet Singh, teachers and prominent citizens of the village, went door to door. The pamphlets highlighting the achievements, quality education and other facilities available in government schools were distributed. He interacted with the people to mobilise them to avail the benefits of state of the art infrastructure and quality education facilities by getting their children admitted in government schools.
It is pertinent to mention here that massive enrollment drive is currently underway in the state. The officials, school heads, teachers and non teaching employees of the department have been exerting their nerves to convert the enrollment drive into a mass movement in its true spirit.
The school teachers are using public address system of gurudwaras and other religious places, going door to door, distributing pamphlets, affixing flex hoardings, plying rickshaws / vans playing promotional songs , staging street plays at public places and setting up canopies at Mela sites to highlight the revolutionary improvement in infrastructure as well as quality education facilities . Besides, the optimum use of print, electronic and social media is being ensured to give a fillip to the enrollment drive. The department has started telecasting the " Naviyan Pairhan" programme on DD Punjabi for the purpose. It is aired on every Saturday and Sunday. The programmes like " School Darshan" and " Mashal March" are also being organised. Moreover, several talented teachers, who have made videos of their promotional songs and skits have been uploading these on youtube/ facebook pages and the well knit media team has been sharing all the highlights of the print and electronic media in whatsapp groups also. The posters highlighting various quality education activities / good practices are also being prepared and shared in social media groups of students, parents, Sarpanches. SMCs.
" There is great potential for enhancing the enrollment . Last year, about 15 percent increase in enrollment was witnessed in government schools and the confidence with which school teachers are highlighting the improved infrastructural and quality education facilities, a positive change in the public perception about the government schools is abundantly visible. Hence, the enrollment during the current academic year is likely to improve further", said Krishan Kumar while exhorting the school heads and teachers to make micro planning like procuring lists along with phone numbers of target families in their respective localities so that they could be contacted repeatedly on phone , sensitising the parents about the facility of separate sections for the students aspiring to oprt English medium and setting up " Admission Helpline" manned with dedicated Nodal Officer at school level.