HRD minister launches 'Vidyanjali'

New Delhi, June 18: Union Minister for human Resource Development Smriti Zubin Irani has launched ‘Vidyanjali’- a school volunteer programme today at New Delhi. In her iugural address Smriti Zubin Irani said, “Vidyanjali is a step forwarded in creating an ecosystem, wherein education will be attached with imbibing knowledge and improving learning output.”

“There is an ingrained sense of participation and willingness within the people of this country to contribute towards tion building. We are hoping to leverage the same through this programme. Numerous researches have reflected that community engagement with schools has led to improvement in the quality of learning and education. This programme will instil fresh enthusiasm in school children to take up reading and will re-energise the teaching-learning process at schools,” the minister further added. She also emphasised upon the significance of providing timely remedial support to improve the learning outcomes of school children, thereby reducing the number of school drop outs.

The programme is designed to involve volunteers from different walks of life to strengthen the co-scholastic activities in government schools. Vidyanjali, which is being implemented under the overall aegis of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, will enhance the community involvement in government run elementary schools and effectively engage children in reading, creative writing, public speaking, play acting, preparing story books etc..

The Indian diaspora in Indonesia was also connected to the live proceedings through the Indian embassy at Jakarta and they shared their heartfelt appreciation for the initiative with the minister, along with their views and suggestions.

Giving a nod to their ideas, the minister assured to widen the scope of Vidyanjali to include performing arts and life skills. She also urged the MyGov team to create a module under Vidyanjali wherein NRI community or others, who want to contribute by providing additiol teaching-learning aids like books etc. and other resources, can do so in conjunction with state and district administration.

The programme will be piloted across 21 States which includes Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Delhi, Harya, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Kartaka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telenga, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Many of the eminent persolities including the chief ministers from different states extended their support to the initiative and encouraged people to participate in the programme. This was stated in a press release.