The Department of Education, Rajasthan is committed to promoting holistic learning and development in the state. In the past few years, the department has achieved new record goals in the field of education. With its best innovations and methodologies, the state has proved to be a source of inspiration for other states.
On the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Education Department took the revolutionary decision to open English Medium Government Schools in the state. At present, there are 348 schools in the state. These government schools have achieved the status at par with the private schools of the state. Presently, around 1 lac students are studying in these schools. In view of the increasing popularity of English Medium Schools, the State Government has decided to establish 1200 more English Medium Schools in all the villages and towns with a population of more than 5000 in the next two years.
In the last three years, there has been a rapid increase in the opening of smart classes in government schools. Smart classrooms and 11,674 ICT labs have been set up in 101 schools of the state. Besides this, the work of setting up smart classrooms and 398 ICT labs in 8,767 schools is in progress. With this, Rajasthan has secured second place in setting up ICT labs.
Schools may have been closed during the Corona period, but with the help of the digital revolution and innovations, the education department kept the students engaged in their studies. Under online education, the department distributed text materials to 13 lac students by forming 20,000+ WhatsApp groups through the Smile program. Whereas under programs like e-Kasha, Aao Ghar Mein Seekhein, Shiksha Darshan, Shikshavani, and Hawamahal, students were taught from the home premises. For children with special needs, the education department started the Mission Samarth initiative, under which video content in sign language was created and delivered to these students. When the lockdown got lifted, schools were reopened. So to boost the morale of the students and to strengthen the grip of education, the ‘Back to School’ campaign was started.
The Education Department has taken varied decisions for the all-around development of the students too. To prepare the students for national-level competition, the NCERT syllabus has been implemented from class 9 in the state. For employment-related guidance to the students, Rajiv Gandhi Career Portal was started. In addition to this, for the qualitative improvement in education and participation of the public in educational activities, Bal Sabha is organized. An initiative named ‘No Bag Day’ is also practiced every Saturday. For the first time in the state, the Urdu subject has been included in the 5th standard.
For the empowerment of the girl child, Kishori Shikshak Utsav is been organized, whereas Self-defense training has been imparted to more than 29 lac girl students to boost their confidence and strength. The State Government is running various awards to encourage girl-child education in the state. Namely Gargi Award Scheme, Girl Child Promotion Scheme, Aapki Beti Yojana, Indira Priyadarshini Award, Chief Minister Hamari Betiyan Yojana, Kasturba Gandhi Fixed Deposit Receipt Scheme, etc.
In addition to the above, the number of teachers honored on Teachers’ Day was increased from 68 to 1101. Around 40 ministerial and support staff was also honored for the first time. After 50 years Rajasthan Education Service Rules were also amended to remove any discrepancies in the rules.
Keeping in view the vacant posts in schools, 61123 teachers have been appointed. At the same time, the recruitment of 31,000 posts of REET is also under process, which will be filled after the upcoming results. The department has done 24,168 promotions through DPC, while 2,589 people were given Anukampa Niyukti. For the first time in the state, 10,453 posts were created by the opening way for computer teacher recruitment, while 1231 posts of laboratory assistants, 700 posts of librarians, 350 candidates of 2013 senior teachers, and 104 candidates of senior teachers in 2016 were also posted out of pending recruitments in the court.
The state not only fulfilled the vision of a promising Rajasthan by securing the first position in the Fit India Movement but also set an example of quality education at the national level by securing a 1+ ranking in the Performance Grading Index (PGI) of the Ministry of Education.
In the past 3 years, Education Department conquered various challenging circumstances and came forward with innovative solutions and noteworthy policies. This not only gave a new direction to the education sector but also proved to be a game-changer for the state.
