District-wise monitoring committees, headed by DMs, would be formed for effective implementation of ‘Mission Daksh’ (representative image)
As part of the ‘Mission Daksh’ programme, the state education department has directed teachers to provide intensive guidance to academically weak students
The Bihar government will launch a program in December for nearly 25 lakh children who are lagging behind their peers in schools, with some of them unable to read simple Hindi words despite reaching upper primary classes, officials said Thursday. As part of the ‘Mission Daksh’ programme, the state education department has directed teachers to provide intensive guidance to such students, in groups of not more than five, with the “warning” that any laxity will spur them into action.
Additional Chief Secretary Education KK Pathak wrote a letter to all district magistrates (DMs) on November 21 asking them to monitor the progress of the program in their areas on a daily basis from December 1. District-based monitoring committees, headed by DMs, would be formed for effective implementation of ‘Mission Daksh’, it said.
During the regular inspection and monitoring by the DMs that began in July, it was found that there are a significant number of academically weak students in almost all government schools, the letter said. “Keeping this in mind, the department has decided to launch ‘Mission Daksh’ in all government schools in the state from December 1 to improve the academic performance of such students,” the report said.
“Academically weak students lag far behind their peers in schools… some of them are unable to read simple Hindi words properly despite reaching upper primary classes,” it added. Pathak directed to identify such students on priority.
“Then the principals will ask the teachers to conduct additional lessons (after lunch) with no more than five children at a time. Such students often require individualized attention to fully understand difficult concepts and bridge the gaps in the learning process. This targeted approach will also allow teachers to personalize their teaching methods in a way that suits the unique needs of each struggling student,” he said in the letter. “All 25 lakh (approximately) such (academically weak) students will appear for their final examinations in April 2024. If these students fail to pass their final examinations, the Ministry of Education will take strict departmental action against their principals/principals and teachers. ,” he said.
The Nitish Kumar government has taken a slew of stringent measures in the past year to improve the quality of education in the state. In September, Pathak directed district education officers (DEOs) to communicate with parents of students with less than 50 percent attendance and take measures for improvement.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)