Srinagar: Stressing that inclusion was the key to laying the foundation of Jammu and Kashmir’s future, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Saturday said there was a need for new thinking in school education.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that speaking at the annual day celebration of Devki Arya Putri Pathshala, Srinagar, the LG said that excellence and inclusion were keys to lay the foundation of J&K’s future and that there was a need for new thinking in school education.
“Scientific temper of the students should be developed and one-to-one mentoring should be encouraged to generate curiosity and creativity,” he said.
The LG said that Devki Arya Putri Pathshala, Srinagar, started in 1910, played a pivotal role in providing education to girls from underprivileged sections of society.
He said that the school had ensured greater access to quality education for students.
“Intelligent, reflective, and compassionate students would become the engine of innovation and development in all fields,” the LG said.
Lauding the indispensable role of womenfolk, he stressed that the new generation needs to know that women of Jammu and Kashmir had contributed in many areas of nation-building.
“At the time of the tribal invasion, women played a very important role in keeping people together,” the LG said.
He also recalled Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and said that he was a pioneer of women’s empowerment and women’s education, and believed that women in India were no less than men in any form and they should be respected as much as men.
The LG said that in the post-independence years, women were deprived of their rights due to draconian laws.
“Right to Education was applicable in the entire country but it was not implemented in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. “After August 2019, the situation changed and it was made applicable along with all 890 central laws.”
Highlighting the interventions in the education sector of J&K, the LG said that in the last two years, efforts had been made to provide quality education to the children.
“Under the ‘Aao School Chalein Campaign’, in the last year, J&K administration enrolled 1.65 lakh children. ‘Talaash’ app is being used to identify such children who had to drop out of school due to some reason in the last few years. Till now, 86,000 such boys and girls have been identified and now they are being enrolled in schools,” he said. “Enrollment levels, which were falling steadily before 2019, have increased within two years. Sustained efforts are being made for Early Childhood Care and Education as recommended by the National Education Policy.”
The LG said that despite the constraints of COVID-19, 1.24 lakh children were enrolled for Early Childcare Education and the administration had decided that this year, 2000 kindergartens would be established.
“This year we have decided that 14,000 girls will be provided NEET coaching on behalf of the administration, the expenditure of which will be borne by the administration,” he said.
Chairperson, DAPP High School, Veena Chandhok, in her welcome address highlighted the significance of education for girls and briefed about the journey and achievements of the school since its establishment in 1910.
Kailash Mehra, a renowned singer and alumni of the school presented a Kashmiri Sufi song.
Arnav Sethi threw light on the steps adopted by the DAPP School for developing students into leaders of tomorrow.
Sohail Nasir, a 10th-class student spoke on the topic of COVID-19.
Earlier, the NCC girls of the school presented the guard of honour to the LG.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir P K Pole, DIG CKR Srinagar Sujit Kumar, DC Srinagar Muhammad Aijaz, SSP Srinagar Rakesh Balwal, CO 117 Bn CRPF Manoj Kumar, Principal DAPP High School Yusra Mushtaq, were also present on the occasion besides teachers, students, and faculty members of the school.