In Gujarat, School Entrance Festival and Kanya Kelavani Rath Yatra gave a new direction to the future of lakhs of children and daughters by making education a mass movement in 23 years.
Many times such moments come in history which appear normal at that time, but later on change the direction of the society. A child’s first time going to school is also one such moment. It is not only the event of a student’s admission to school, but also opens the door to new possibilities for his family, society and future.
Shala Praveshotsav and Kanya Kelavani Rath Yatra, which started in 2003 in Gujarat, is one such campaign, which brought positive changes in the lives of millions of children and families by turning education into a mass movement. Today this initiative has completed 23 years and this journey has become an inspiring example of social change.
There were many challenges before education in the year 2003.
When the then Chief Minister and current Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi started this campaign, Gujarat was facing many serious challenges in the field of education. The school dropout rate was more than 37 percent in the year 2001-02. This meant that almost every third child dropped out of school.
Awareness regarding education was limited in rural and economically weaker families. Especially the education of daughters was being more affected due to social and economic reasons. In such an environment, the need was felt to bring education to the center of society.
The idea of making education not a government program but a people’s resolution.
Shri Narendra Modi gave the message through Shala Praveshotsav that education should not be only the responsibility of the government but a collective resolution of the entire society. This idea took this campaign beyond a simple administrative program to a movement with public participation.
The biggest feature of this campaign was that the distance between the government and the people reduced. The Chief Minister, Ministers, MLAs, senior administrative officials and other government representatives themselves reached the villages. He communicated with the parents and tried to send the children to school. This tradition has been continuing for the last 23 years.
Lives of millions of people changed through education
The success of any plan is measured by its results. Shala Praveshotsav and Kanya Kelavani Rath Yatra have also proved their impact over time. The achievement of this initiative has not only been in increasing the enrollment of children in schools, but also in bringing about a change in millions of lives to which education has given a new direction. Today, many of the children who crossed the threshold of school for the first time in 2003 have become doctors, engineers, teachers, administrative officers and successful entrepreneurs. This campaign to ensure access to education has played an important role in the success of all these.
Kanya Kelavani Rath Yatra made education of daughters a mass movement
Real development of any society is possible only when its daughters move forward. With this thinking in mind, Kanya Kelavani Rath Yatra was made an important part of the school entrance festival. In the last two decades, there has been a remarkable change in the thinking of the society regarding the education of daughters in Gujarat. Today families are not only sending their daughters to school but also want to see them reach new heights in higher education and career. This change is not only the result of government efforts but is also a proof of increasing awareness and collective participation in the society.
Incentives are being received from Namo Lakshmi Yojana and Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana Yojana.
The state government has launched many schemes to further strengthen girl education. Under Namo Lakshmi Yojana, financial assistance up to Rs 50 thousand is provided to girl students studying in class 9 to 12. Along with this, Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana Yojana has been implemented with the aim of promoting science education. Under this scheme, assistance up to Rs 25 thousand is provided in two years to students studying science subjects in class 11 and 12. The aim of these schemes is to ensure that financial difficulties do not become a hindrance to the talent and dreams of any student.
Initiatives of Gunotsav and GSQAC for quality education
The aim of education is not only to increase the enrollment of children but also to provide them quality education. With this view in mind, the Gunotsav program was started in the year 2009. Over time, this initiative has evolved into Gunotsav 2.0 (GSQAC). Through this, evaluation and improvement of the quality of education in schools is being ensured.
Under the School Quality Assessment and Assurance Framework (SQAAF) developed in accordance with the National Education Policy 2020, 211 standards have been set to measure the quality of schools. Their objective is to ensure overall development of students and better learning environment.
Education system getting strengthened by new education policy and technology
As per the National Education Policy 2020, 5+3+3+4 educational structure has been implemented in Gujarat. Besides, the kindergarten is also being implemented extensively. The use of technology has made the education system more effective. Access to every child is being ensured through integration of birth registration system and child tracking system.
Gujarat’s Vidya Samiksha Kendra is considered to be the country’s first Artificial Intelligence based educational monitoring system. Real-time monitoring of the entire education system is done from here. AI based early warning system ensures timely necessary intervention by identifying potential dropout students.
Public participation became the biggest strength of the campaign
The success of any social campaign increases when the society itself becomes a participant in it. In the last 23 years, approximately Rs 326 crore has been contributed by citizens and various institutions for the development of schools. 75 percent parent participation and 50 percent female representation in school management committees have made education truly a community movement. Apart from this, schemes like Chief Minister Gyan Sadhna and Gyan Setu Merit Scholarship are providing opportunities to meritorious students to move ahead.
Important initiative towards realizing the dream of developed India
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi believes that building a developed India is possible only when the dreams of children are empowered. School Entrance Festival and Kanya Kelavani Rath Yatra have emerged as initiatives to realize this idea. This seed sown in the year 2003 has today taken the form of a huge tree of education, equal opportunities and social awareness. Under its shadow the new generations of Gujarat are building their future.
Example of social revolution in the field of education
Governments and plans keep changing with time, but there are some ideas that decide the direction of generations. School Entrance Festival and Kanya Kelavani Rath Yatra is one such initiative which has provided opportunities to lakhs of children, confidence to lakhs of daughters and new thinking to the entire society. These efforts made in the field of primary education in Gujarat’s development journey will be remembered as an important example of social change and public awareness in the times to come.