The state government on Thursday held a feedback meeting of BJP ministers and officials — who had taken part in the 21st edition of Shala Praveshotsav, which concluded on June 28, this year — under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar on Thursday.

They claimed that during the drive, the enrolment of women students in secondary and higher secondary schools increased by 6.5 percent since last year; this happened after the launch of ‘Namo Lakshmi’ scheme by the BJP-led state government, stated an official statement by the Gujarat government on Thursday. The ‘Namo Saraswati Vigyan Sadhana’ scheme, aimed at enroling more students in Science streams, has also increased by 5 per cent since 2023, it added.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that even the interior-most villages in tribal areas are competing with the most developed ones nowadays. “Advanced education facilities have reached these rural interiors, and it is important that we do better and more productive work together so that the children are benefited to the fullest,” the CM added. Highlighting that this year’s entrance festival — for the first time focussed on admissions in Class IX, the CM said that the state government can make a big difference in the dropout ratio.

At the meeting, Education Secretary Vinod Rao gave a presentation on the achievements of Shala Praveshotsav 2024. Accordingly, some 74,352 dignitaries visited 31,885 primary schools and 6,369 secondary schools across the state during the drive, while 6,685 classrooms, 7,878 computer labs and 26,570 smart classes were inaugurated.

Chief Secretary Raj Kumar, meanwhile, said that the drive was aimed at improving both the level and quality of education in the state. “For the comprehensive development of children, the contribution of parents and society is necessary…,” Kumar said, adding that there is an attendance irregularity among the children of labourers and efforts are required to meet these parents and fix the issue. He also suggested linking healthcare centres and their sub-centres; screening of children along with qualitative change in school education from the primary level is much needed, he said.

During the feedback meeting, a senior IPS officer said that the focus of the government should not be merely on infrastructure but also teaching and the students. Highlighting the case of Kutch district, where he visited schools during the drive, the officer said that infrastructure like classrooms in Kutch schools were not even fully utilised and remained empty.