Reward for the 145;best and the brightest146; in govt schools: trip to Singapore

The group, comprising 240 students, and a yet undecided number of teachers and principals, would visit Singapore in January, said Education Secretary Rina Ray. 8220;This is the 8216;leaders of tomorrow8217; programme that seeks to reward exceptional students, teachers and principals,8221; said Ray.

The four-day-three-night trip will include visits to museums, theme parks and a cultural exchange programme with a school in Singapore. It will, however, not be a mere pleasure trip.

8220;Participants should learn something from the experience and give something back to society,8221; said Ray. The group will visit schools in Singapore and meet officials of the city-state. 8220;The aim is to make students learn how the civic system in Singapore works and come back with ideas on the possible ways to implement the policies of cleanliness and development in Delhi,8221; said Ray.

With the programme aiming to identify the 8220;leaders of tomorrow8221;, the students will have regular meetings and reunions to keep track of their development.

8220;They will have to sign an oath that they will give something back to the society,8221; said Ray. So far, she said, none of the students involved in discussions about the trip had said they disagreed with the idea of joining professions like civil services, medicine and armed forces. The final group will comprise merit holders in the CBSE Class XI and XII exams, sportspersons who have excelled in state competitions as well as students who have brought laurels in co-curricular activities. Differently-abled students who have overcome their disabilities and performed well in school will also be part of the group.

For teachers and principals, applications have been invited in which criteria such as academic results and overall development of students will be taken into account. For principals, the implementation of government schemes such as BaLA Building as Learning Aid, upkeep of the school and participation in different initiatives will be looked into.

While the selection of the candidates is being done exclusively by the DoE, the criteria for selection of the awardees were finalised with the concurrence of the principals and teachers8217; unions. The final selection made by the DoE shortly and will need an approval from the yet-to-be-appointed minister for education. The DoE is learnt to have tied up with Air India to manage the logistics of the travel and stay in Singapore, while discussions are on with Singapore officials about the exact itinerary of the visit. Officials at the DoE said the programme would be repeated every year to motivate students.

8220;This may also develop into a regular exchange programme with Singapore at a later stage,8221; said Rina Ray.