Mumbai: With CJP’s ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign drawing attention to gaps in BMC schools, the Maharashtra school education department on Wednesday announced a statewide ‘Chala Shalet Jauya’ (Let’s go to school) campaign under which senior officials will visit schools for four days to assess their infrastructure, teaching standards and students’ needs.
Education Minister Dada Bhuse announced the campaign at a press conference after a day-long workshop for senior education department officials in Mumbai. “We believe school management committees must take ownership of the development of their schools. As long as they do not take responsibility, the development of schools will remain pending. Bhuse has also directed officials to ensure quality and transparency in student-related services such as mid-day meals and uniforms.
He said government decisions should ultimately be reflected in classrooms and in students’ progress. The government is also planning meetings with school management committees (SMCs) across the state, a senior education department official said. We are planning meetings with all SMCs and will ask them to use the powers and responsibilities given to them under the existing system,” the official said. He said strict action should be taken if poor-quality supplies or irregularities are found.
Under the campaign, senior officials will undertake special four-day visits to schools in their allotted districts and assess their actual condition. Clean surroundings, safe school buildings, drinking water and clean toilets will be among the key areas they will look at. The campaign comes as CJP’s ‘School Thik Karo’ initiative has highlighted problems in BMC schools, including infrastructure, sanitation, textbooks and teacher availability. The state’s decision to send officials directly to schools is expected to provide a ground-level assessment of the issues affecting schools.
