ZP to launch quality improvement programme in schools from Feb 1

The results of the eighth edition of the “Chavadi Vachan” project that was held a month ago show that over 9,400 students in the ZP schools in the district still can’t read,8,835 students are weak in maths and 19,000 students can’t read a word in English.

The pilot project,which will start from February 1,will be undertaken in 10 schools from each of the 13 taluks in the district. A one-day workshop will be held on January 25 for the school teachers who will participate in the project.

“Though the goals sound very simple,they play a vital role in building confidence among students. A good handwriting increases student’s interest in learning and builds confidence,knowing tables will help students in maths and having a English word-bank of 500 words will help them improve English. These goals can be achieved in a short time frame,” said Panduarang Memane,Extension Officer for school education.

Memane hopes that if these objectives are achieved,it will also help in decreasing absenteeism.

“If they do not know the basic skills like reading and writing,students tend to avoid school due to loss of interest and fear of punishment. That is a major reason for absenteeism in schools,” said Memane.

After two months,the department is planning to evaluate the progress by a third party observer to get a unbiased result.

“After getting positive results from this pilot project,we would consider launching this project on large scale,” said Dattatraya Shendkar,Education Offier,Pune ZP.