Gumla: The district administration’s innovative move to involve experts from other departments and diverse fields in educating students has revitalised the teachers and the education system. The comprehensive monitoring approach, aimed at improving the performance of the students in the 2025 board examinations of both Class X and XII, will encompass 148 institutes, including govt and govt-aided schools, inter-colleges and minority institutions.
Titled ‘Gift of Education’, the initiative will involve the district collector, other block-level officials, police officers and SSB (paramilitary) personnel. These officials will conduct weekly visits to the institutes to monitor student engagement, teaching quality, syllabus completion and practice sessions with model question papers. Explaining the ‘Gift of Education, its assistant nodal officer Dildar Singh said, “It is basically a teachers’ core group formed to monitor and refresh students’ understanding of chapters and prepare them for board-style questions.”
The move assumed significance as pre-board examinations are scheduled to begin on December 9 and the group is providing support in the students’ daily practice on objective, short and long-answer questions.
Conceptualized by Gumla DC Karn Satyarthi, the initiative has fostered positive attitudes among teachers and students alike. District education officer (DEO) Kavita Khalkho said, “Regular visits by the officials from other departments have eliminated teacher complacency and improved the students’ engagement. Students now communicate openly with the officers and demonstrate better understanding of their curriculum.”
Speaking to TOI, DC Satyarthi said, “We’ve implemented a systematic approach targeting not just 100% pass results in both boards but excellence in individual subject performance across all streams in Class XII.”
He emphasized that officers from diverse backgrounds bring valuable perspectives to student mentoring. “Their varied institutional experiences and academic backgrounds provide students with unique insights beneficial for their academic growth,” Satyarthi added.
The programme’s holistic approach, combining administrative oversight with educational support, represents a significant step toward improving educational standards in Gumla’s schools, potentially serving as a model for other districts to follow.