8 Ways in Which Chhattisgarh is Redefining Education

Once known for being a state beset with left-wing extremism, inaccessibility and an acute lack of social and fiscal development, Chhattisgarh has come a long way in a very short span of time. It’s now one of the fastest growing and best fiscally managed states in the country. At the same time, there is a clear understanding that economic growth means little without educating and empowering the citizens of the state. To achieve this end on a priority basis, the state has initiated several schemes and projects aimed at creating a holistic and inclusive educational atmosphere for its youth. These initiatives are re-defining education in the state and creating a model of governance for the rest of the nation to emulate. This article looks at some of the initiatives that are making the state an educational hub for its citizens.

  1. The Nalanda Parisar at Raipur

The Nalanda Parisar is a unique community learning zone built over a six-acre campus in the heart of Raipur, set up by the state administration for benefitting the youth looking for opportunities and resources to study and empower themselves.  The Nalanda Parisar has a one of-its-kind Oxy Reading Zone, a 24x7 community library with books and reference materials worth over ₹2 crores. The library is open 24 hours a day and can accommodate up to 1000 students at a time. The Parisar has free Wi-Fi, indoor and outdoor reading zones, an e-library and a reprography section. This is an exciting space for students as well as people just eager to learn, and one that might be worthy of emulation in other parts of the country.

  1. Porta Cabins Initiative

The Porta Cabins initiative was introduced by the state government in districts worst affected by left-wing extremism related conflict, like Bastar, Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur. Under this initiative, fire-proof and water-proof cabins made of pre-fabricated bamboo and plywood have been set up and operated as government run residential schools for the youngsters living in the district. In these districts, it was common for schools to be destroyed by Naxal violence. Rebuilding these schools over and over again was both unfeasible and left the students hanging in uncertainty. The Porta Cabins are relatively easy to build and can be set up in a matter of days, making sure the student’s education doesn’t suffer from discontinuity.

  1. Prayas Residential Schools

This is another initiative of the state government aimed at helping students from tribal areas and remote districts in the state access quality education to prepare them for competitive exams like IIT-JEE, for free. Apart from coaching for competitive exams, the students are given regular higher secondary education. These residential schools have been set up in all five divisional headquarters, including Raipur.

  1. Education City in Dantewada

The Education City project started in the conflict-torn district of Dantewada by the state administration is one of the most ambitious and at the same time successful initiatives of the state. The City, spread over an area of 150 acres with a budget of ₹100 crores, provides quality residential education to school going youngsters in the district.  The Education City houses fifteen institutions including a special school for tribal girls, a sports school, an ITI, an engineering college, a school for the differently abled, and a boarding school for close to 800 students. The Dantewada Education City was rated as among the top 100 urban infrastructure initiatives in the world by KPMG, a global auditing giant.

  1. Super-50 initiative

This is a free coaching initiative initiated by the administration in the district of Kabirdham in Chhattisgarh.  Under this initiative, a total of 50 deserving civil services aspirants are selected on the basis of an assessment test, and given free coaching and career guidance, to help them prepare for the civil services examination.  By investing in these aspirants, the administration makes sure that when they become bureaucrats, they too carry on the conscientious and good work of educating and empowering the disempowered through such initiatives.

  1. Education for the differently-abled

The education policy of the state has consciously made itself inclusive for the differently abled students, for whom a regular formal education may not be possible.  The government runs several schools and initiatives to cater to the needs of the differently abled, with the motivation to provide them a quality education and empower them in the same way other students are being empowered. One such initiative is the Saksham school run within the Education City in Dantewada. This school caters to around 170 students who are taught by specially trained teachers. Apart from this, there are government run schools for the differently abled in several other districts like Raipur, Jagdalpur, Bilaspur, Kabirdham, Jashpur, Kanker, Dhamtari, Sarguja and Bijapur. The state’s efforts were recognized when Chhattisgarh received the National Award for the Best State in the Field of Disability in 2017.

  1. Successful implementation of the Right to Education Act in Raipur

Under the RTE Act, all private and government aided schools have a 25% reservation for children from economically weaker backgrounds. Under an able district administration, Raipur has seen resounding success in the implementation of the RTE, with close to 5,500 children from the poorer sections of society now studying in top tier schools, availing quality education that would have been unaffordable for them otherwise.

  1. National Means Cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS)

This is a scheme of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, aimed at awarding scholarships to meritorious students of economically weaker sections to arrest their drop-out rate at class VIII and encourage them to continue the study at secondary stage. In Chhattisgarh, the State Council of Educational Research and Training is responsible for the implementation of the scheme,