Introduced on September 15 by the district administration of frontier district Kupwara Project Zimadari seems to be a step in the right direction. The project has been launched to reform school education and its management within the district by Deputy Commissioner Kupwara in collaboration with the School education department.
A single of its kind in Jammu and Kashmir, the project is meticulous in layout with focuses on a host of aims like academics, basic infrastructure, human resource development, co-curricular and extracurricular activities, social and emotional learning.
Based on the six thematic aims 85 parameters identified are to be monitored and evaluated across all the schools of the district for holistic development of the students and teachers of the government schools. At its core, the project is to achieve an absolute transformation through the needful reformation and intervention.
With the aim to improve and ensure basic facilities in the schools, a special plan has been designed to be put in place. For example, the educational facilities available are to be managed well by the local school administration.
No teacher is to be held responsible for the lack of facilities but for the optimum use of the available facilities, if not managed properly by the staff, the responsibility will be fixed and the school administration will be held accountable for it. However, the facilities unavailable are to be identified to be brought to the notice of the administration.
Furthermore, the project is to focus on BALA (Building as Learning Aid) concept. This concept primarily focuses on making learning an art activity, beholding the interests of the students. Besides, the project aims to address the issue of dropouts and the perception of the schools in the district.
For the first time, the project has introduced a grading system for schools within the district. The grading system will push the local school administration into competition and force them to work for improvement.
In detail, the schools will be graded in accordance with their performance. Those schools which cover all the 85 set parameters will get a green color code and those which cover only a limited number of parameters will get a red color code.
Accordingly, schools getting green color codes will be designated as model schools whereas the schools lagging behind are to improve their level by taking inspiration and necessary guidance from the model schools. The purpose is to prepare schools ready to produce excellent results in all six thematic areas which in turn can help restore the integrity of the education system.
This project seems an innovative initiative that can help address the basic problems in the state-run schools within the district. If implemented at a wider scale the project can produce desired results that could help the administration to improve the perception of its schooling system.
With its name the project implies responsibility. The central concept is to make teachers responsible for the resources they have been provided with by the state. The initial result of the project’s implementation within the district has already brought about a positive change.
It’s pertinent to mention that the initiative without the state fund has improved the basic infrastructure available to the schools including water supply, electricity, toilet facilities, and many more.
Albeit, the project is at its initial stage, it seems to be an effective and practical one. The project has covered more than 90% of schools so far with a visible change in some areas while the work continues on the rest.
The project has also involved local community members. The engagement with locals has increased the efficiency of the project and has been received well by the people. The parents of wards have also been taken on board to help resolve the immediate challenges faced by their wards within the schools run by the state.
The initiative taken by the district administration has set the tone for a reformation. It’s a guiding example for the rest of the districts within the UT of Jammu and Kashmir to take a note.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.