The School Education Department of Madhya Pradesh has announced that upcoming academic session will officially commence on June 16. Coinciding with reopening of schools, the State will simultaneously launch second phase of its flagship enrollment drive, ‘School Chalen Hum’ campaign, which is scheduled to run till June 30. Responding to severe heatwave conditions and requests from educators, the State Government has extended summer vacation for teachers by seven days. Teachers are now required to report to schools on June 7 instead of June 1. This decision also addresses demands from teachers who were actively deployed in census duties. Further directives have been issued to ensure that basic amenities are functioning perfectly before students arrive.

 

This includes maintaining clean girls’ toilets, water supply and optimising drinking water facilities. Core objective of the second phase of the ‘School Chalen Hum’ campaign is to achieve 100% enrollment and systematically reintegrate dropout children back into the formal education system. Rajya Shiksha Kendra has directed teachers to conduct door-to-door tracking using a specialised ‘Child Tracking System’ via ‘Hamare Shikshak app’. This will help monitor children who are currently out of school based on pre-identified lists.

 

Under the State’s Mission Ankur, special action plans will be drafted to improve children’s learning capacities. To maintain retention rates, School Management Committees will regularly hold strategy meetings to track the attendance of newly enrolled students. On June 16, all Government and Sandipani schools will celebrate ‘Shala Prarambh Utsav’ to welcome new students and their parents. As a part of the celebrations, schools will host Bal Sabhas for pre-primary to class 8 students and distribute free textbooks on time. Parents will also be briefed on Government welfare schemes and benefits. District Collectors have been instructed to conduct regular reviews of these activities and involve officials from various departments to engage directly with students, ensuring that no child in the State is deprived of education.