Shouldering responsibility

Ranchi, April 23: The state government seems to have learnt it right ? involving children in the school campaign.

To boost the ?School Chalein Hum Abhiyan-2006? launched by the state education department, the officials Jharkhand Education Project (JEP) has decided to form a child cabinet to trace out the dropout rates in schools.

This group of children would move from village to village in different districts of the state, trace out dropout rates and encourage the parents to send their wards to school.

The child cabinet members will also organise antakshari, musical chair, science exhibition and school picnic for the students. The district administration will provide food to the students to encourage them join school.

If everything goes well as jointly planned by the state government and the district collectorate, the dropout rates of the schoolchildren might be reduced. The school dropout rate plunged from 56 per cent to 43 per cent in the past six years, thanks to the efforts of teachers and the state education department.

The Jharkhand Education Project (JEP) under Sarve Siksha Abhiyan has published a booklet for the primary and middle school students to encourage them form a child cabinet.

According to the JEP data, maximum number of dropout is found in Palamau district, followed by Pakur, Dhanbad, Godda, Hazaribagh, Simdega and Giridih.

The district administration has decided to mark the houses with red after dropouts have been identified by the child cabinet members.

After the survey, the child cabinet members will submit the report to the principals of the concerned schools and the school principals will send it to the deputy commissioner.

The heads of the primary and middle schools of the state would select 40 children as part of the child cabinet. These members will hold the baton for mobilisation, management and innovation.

Child cabinet would consist of a prime minister, deputy prime minister, finance and administration, education and culture minister, health minister, sports minister. Each member will look after the respective sections of the school.

The post of the prime minister will be held by a girl student. Moreover, the child cabinet members also have Bal Sansad Kosh, where 50 paise will be saved by the members to buy reading and learning materials by the dropout students.

Officials of JEP said about 17,842 education guarantee schemes have been opened in the state but plans are afoot for more such programmes.

District superintendent of education Pradeep Choubey said some schools in Ranchi have already formed the child cabinet to make the campaign a success. ?The children with leadership qualities can play a vital role in motivating the dropout kids,? he said.