Rajasthan, a state that was termed ‘BIMARU’ (sick and lagging behind in development) according to Census 2011 reports, has shown upward progression in last 3 years under BJP government, especially in sectors like education, skill development and intrastate connectivity. Today, 50,000 new B.Ed. students joined the internship programs at government schools, boosting the growth rates of Rajasthan state education department. This is a major achievement for Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje, who had promised better opportunities in education, employment and training.
Rajasthan has Set an Example for Other States to Follow
Internship programme for government schools was implemented ever since the education department revised the 1-year B.Ed. course to 2 years. Applauding the ‘first of its kind initiative in the country’, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javedkar, hinted that other states might adopt this scheme in future. Under this scheme, teachers will have to teach at schools for a period of four months to acquire practical experience in teaching. At the end of this internship program, individual performances will be graded based on their talents.
Out of 33 districts in Rajasthan, Alwar with 8,000 interns bagged the highest number of interns followed by ‘Pink city’ Jaipur that got 5,000 interns. Once the internship is complete, these candidates can start their teaching career at primary schools.
The Objective Behind Introducing this Programme
With this internship programme, the government intends to improve quality of education imparted by teachers. The scheme offers new teachers an opportunity to utilize their theoretical knowledge in practical world. This will not just improve the learning capacity of students, but also save state funds. “This move has become a part of annual academic calendar and will help the state in saving Rs 180 crore until they recruit teachers“, reported a government official from educated department.
Teachers are Excited About this Programme
Sunita Bhatt, an intern from Ajmer says, “It is a very unique experience to teach government school students. Here, resources are limited but the enthusiasm level of students is very high. This internship will prepare us to meet challenges in school life ahead”. she says. Government has allowed B.Ed. students to join internship programme in their native places. This is a major reason behind increasing enthusiasm of students and glorious success of this scheme.
Raje Prioritized Education in her Suraj Sankalp Yatra
Considering the growing concern of parents on the declining status of education, Raje promised to eliminate the existing loopholes in teaching. After putting in relentless efforts for almost three years, today:
- 9 lakh new students have got enrolled in schools,
- In 2016, 70% students have successfully passed their exams with flying colour,
- 36,000 school teachers and 13,089 lecturers were appointed in Rajasthan.
- 9,895 Adarsh’ secondary schools (based on Vivekanand Model), 9,610 Utkrisht secondary schools, 352 ‘Sharde’ girls hostels, 12 Digital Learning Smart solution systems and 51 new ITIs were set up to encourage more admissions.
As per the academic reports of 2015-2016, the state has total 2.59 lakh teachers and 60 lakh students enrolled in 72,229 government schools. 60,000 more teachers need to be appointed to meet the standard teacher-per-student ratio. Rajasthan Government is working in this direction to reform the fragile education system in villages. The aforementioned developments have helped the state pave its way towards success. Now, the authorities looks forward to achieving success at district and village level.
