Services of surplus mid-day meal workers will not be terminated: CM
The mid-day-meal workers, who are rendered surplus following the merger of schools, will be suitably adjusted in nearby schools and their services will not be terminated, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday.
Sukhu said that the state government was revolutionising the current education system with numerous initiatives and the merger of schools was one of the key initiatives aimed at providing quality education in its institutions. “The surplus mid-day meal workers, resulting from the merger of schools, will be adjusted suitably in nearby schools and their services will not be terminated,” he added.
He said that the government would restructure the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and the District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) to bring about improvement in the functioning of the Education Department, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu while presiding over a meeting here today.
He said, “The restructuring of the SCERT and DIETs is intended to strengthen the quality of education and training to students in the state.” He added that the wrong policies of the previous BJP government had led to a decline in Himachal Pradesh’s ranking from among top five to the 21st place at the national level in terms of quality of education. The government was now working meticulously to ensure that quality education was imparted in its institutions, he added.
The Chief Minister said that the government was sending teachers on foreign exposure visits to enable them to adopt the best teaching practices, which ultimately would benefit students. The government would also send meritorious students, who excelled in academics, sports and other fields, on foreign visits so that they, too, could gain from such visits, he added.
He said that the state government was also making earnest efforts to improve the sports infrastructure in the educational institutions. “To promote sports, the government has increased the diet money of sportspersons from Rs 240 to Rs 400 for the state-level championship, Rs 300 for district level and Rs 240 for block-level events. For sportspersons competing outside the state, the diet money has been enhanced to Rs 500,” he added.
Sukhu said that the state government was promoting sports activities in educational institutions to ensure holistic development of students and keep them away from drugs. He added that the government had already issued instructions to all schools to dedicate at least 15 minutes each day to physical exercise. Education Minister Rohit Thakur, Secretary (Education) Rakesh Kanwar and other senior officers attended the meeting.
