Each morning, two yellow college buses decide up kids from the slums of Sangrur, Punjab, and take them to varied instructional websites — pond rejuvenation areas, growth tasks, and academic parks — turning studying right into a enjoyable and interesting expertise.
Outfitted with interactive studying supplies, books, and academic movies, the buses captivate kids with their vibrant interiors, illuminated by vibrant LEDs. Every bus has a trainer and two anganwadi staff onboard to supply fundamental schooling and help the youngsters’s studying journey.
When IAS officer Jitendra Jorwal took cost as District Commissioner of Sangrur, he found that many kids within the slums had both by no means enrolled at school or had dropped out. Acknowledging the excessive dropout price, he collaborated with anganwadi staff, baby safety officers, and the schooling division to determine the foundation causes.
“Initially, we tried enrolling them, however they quickly stopped attending college once more. We realised that conventional classroom settings weren’t participating sufficient for them. We would have liked to make schooling extra attention-grabbing — one thing that might enable them to expertise what they have been studying and be taught by seeing real-life tasks in motion. The actions needed to be participating, enjoyable, and by no means boring,” says Jitender.
This quest led the administration to launch the ‘Faculties on Wheels’ programme, aimed toward preserving underprivileged kids at school. “Every day, the buses take these kids to be taught subjects like aquaculture, seasonal farming, pond rejuvenation tasks, and many others. We needed to inculcate the behavior of studying and interplay, whereas bringing schooling nearer to them — giving them that further push to attend college. This method permits them to be taught in a stress-free atmosphere,” he provides.
The administration additionally supplies underprivileged kids with new college luggage, hygiene kits, uniforms, toothbrushes, tiffin luggage, and extra. Due to this joyful studying method, IAS Jitendra notes that at the least 100 kids have re-enrolled at school.
Preeti, 11, had enrolled in a public college however struggled to adapt to the college atmosphere. As a substitute of attending lessons, she would accompany her mother and father for ragpicking, exhibiting little curiosity in research. Nevertheless, after becoming a member of the bus schooling programme, Preeti found that studying may really be enjoyable.
“Every single day, the bus would arrive at our home, and we’d be excited to see the place our lecturers would take us. They took us to phal wale bagh (orchards) and parks. I cherished seeing the fish. They might additionally give us new, vibrant books, uniforms, and a wide range of meals. The lecturers even taught us inside the college bus,” says the 11-year-old. Now a Class 4 scholar, Preeti has been repeatedly attending college for the previous yr and a half.
This initiative was the primary of many tasks launched by Jitendra to enhance the lives of underprivileged kids and ladies in Punjab.
Combating anaemia and enhancing dietary consciousness in colleges
After he was appointed because the Deputy Commissioner in April 2022, the 2014 batch IAS officer has been making vital strides within the district of Sangrur. Apart from the Faculties on Wheels programme, he has been implementing progressive tasks to handle the challenges confronted by the neighborhood — notably within the areas of schooling and well being.
“Well being and schooling are the essential foundations for a society. When the inspiration is powerful, the construction will certainly be strengthened. Girls and kids comprise 65 p.c of our society, and I needed to deal with empowering them,” he says.
That very same yr, IAS Jitendra carried out a survey in authorities colleges and found that roughly 48 p.c of scholars throughout 21 colleges have been anaemic. This was regarding, particularly on condition that the Indian Authorities had been distributing Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) tablets via its Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) programme to fight the prevalence and severity of anaemia amongst adolescents.
Whereas the tablets have been being distributed each Wednesday, Jitendra noticed that many kids have been hesitant to eat them on account of misconceptions and lack of understanding. “I learnt that there have been incidences when kids took IFA tablets they usually fainted. In fact, their mother and father bought nervous and have been suspicious of the free tablets,” he provides. “After talking to a couple well being suppliers, I learnt that these tablets shouldn’t be taken on an empty abdomen.”
The IAS officer factors out, “In lots of underprivileged households, breakfast just isn’t a standard apply, so most kids depend on the mid-day meal offered at college. Nevertheless, they got Iron and Folic acid tablets throughout morning prayers, which put them vulnerable to fainting because of the lack of meals beforehand.”
In 2023, he launched modifications to the mid-day meal programme, including iron-rich meals and folic acid tablets to the weight loss program, and educating mother and father and college students concerning the significance of taking IFA tablets after meals to keep away from adversarial results.
To make sure clean implementation, groups have been fashioned at block and district ranges to watch the distribution and consumption of those tablets, with common reviews despatched to the Deputy Commissioner’s workplace each 15 days.
The administration additionally established kitchen gardens in almost 756 private and non-private colleges to advertise the consumption of iron-rich meals — reminiscent of spinach, fenugreek, carrots, and drumsticks. The challenge noticed a big lower in anaemia circumstances after a second well being survey was carried out six months later in January 2024. “The anaemia share was delivered to 4 p.c,” he provides.
Empowering ladies via entrepreneurship
Other than schooling and well being initiatives, the IAS officer additionally initiated tasks to advertise entrepreneurship and livelihood alternatives for girls in native households beneath the PEHEL (Selling Employment of Households via Entrepreneurship and Livelihood) challenge.
As a part of this challenge, underprivileged ladies from self-help teams (SHGs) have been engaged within the manufacturing of faculty uniforms. “Normally, the college committees allot the work to contractors however we roped in SHGs beneath the Punjab State Rural Livelihood Mission (PSRLM),” he says.
“Within the first yr, we engaged greater than 150 ladies to sew 10,000 college uniforms. They generated a turnover of Rs 1.5 crore. Within the second yr, we expanded the work by participating 450 ladies to sew college and police uniforms as nicely. This elevated the income to Rs 4.5 crore,” provides Jitendra, who’s at the moment DC of Ludhiana.
Bridging city and rural instructional gaps with trendy libraries
Furthermore, his dedication to enhancing schooling led to the institution of modernised libraries in each city and rural areas. Drawing from his personal expertise of the significance of libraries throughout his UPSC preparation, he remodeled the district library in Sangrur right into a state-of-the-art facility, full with centralised air con, aggressive examination books, computer systems, and a seating capability of 350. Moreover, he arrange 26 village libraries to make sure that rural ladies even have entry to instructional sources.
By way of his progressive tasks, holistic method, and strategic interventions, Jitendra has established a robust basis for sustainable progress and growth within the district.
“We’ve efficiently empowered underprivileged individuals in schooling, social well-being, and well being via a holistic method. Reflecting on the infrastructure and neighborhood growth we’ve given again to society, I really feel an excellent sense of fulfilment,” he remarks.
Edited by Pranita Bhat. All images: IAS Jitendra Jorwal.
