Winds of change: Haryana puts spotlight on education

CHANDIGARH - From small towns to villages, Haryana is gearing up for a quiet revolution. Armed with over 35,000 new teachers, including 1,000 for the English language, and enhanced investments, the state is aiming for change in the field of education.

With the process of recruitment of teachers having already started and the state government announcing this month that new English teachers would also be recruited soon, Haryana’s focus on education is for real.

The government has also initiated several steps, including the setting up of an international level education city near Sonipat town, in the periphery of New Delhi’s national capital region (NCR).

Leading international and national universities and other educational institutes have expressed their willingness to invest in the education city, named after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The state has already set up an exclusive university for women, the Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya (Women University) near Sonipat.

“We want to accord top priority to education, be it at the primary level in schools or at the university level,” Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda told IANS.

“We want leading international names in the education field to set up base in the education city. In the competitive market, this will put youth from Haryana in a better position to meet industry demands.”

The focus on education comes at a time when controversial decisions of khap panchayats, or caste councils, annulling the marriages of young couples marrying in the same ‘gotra’ (lineage) or even in the same village, and the rising number of honour killings are earning adverse publicity for the state.

“The process of recruiting 35,000 teachers is going on to fill up the vacant posts of teachers in the state. In addition, 1,000 English teachers would also be appointed soon,” said Haryana’s Education, Health, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Geeta Bhukkal.

Haryana has directed deputy commissioners in all 21 districts to conduct a survey by July 31 to identify areas where elementary education schools are required.

Aiming to make schools more easily accessible to students, the government is planning to open more and upgrade existing ones.

At present, Haryana has 14,400 primary schools, 2,272 middle schools, 1,599 high schools and 1,519 senior secondary schools.

Hooda said at present, a primary school is located within a radius of 1.03 km of students, middle school in a radius of 1.07 km, high school in a radius of 1.52 km and senior secondary schools within a radius of 2.28 km.

The chief minister said the gross enrolment ratio at the primary level has improved from 97.8 percent in 2004-05 to 99.8 percent in 2009-10.

In case of upper primary, it improved from 95.38 percent to 97.2 percent during the same period.

The transition rate from primary to middle also improved from 65.86 percent to 93.9 percent and retention rate at primary level improved from 66.29 percent to 95.7 percent during the same period.

“More girls are coming to study now in the schools. This is despite the adverse sex ratio (of 861 females per 1,000 males) in the state,” a senior education department official said.

The central government has approved a budget of Haryana elementary education scheme for 2010-11 at Rs.691 crore.

(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)