On the evening of Thursday 6th June 2013 Shri Narendra Modi participated in a dialogue with Ministers and officials to brainstorm about the upcoming Kanya Kelavani and Shala Praveshotsav drive. The drive will be held in two phases, 13th-14th-15th June in rural areas and 20th-21st-22nd June in urban areas. Shri Modi inspired the Ministers and officials to make the drive a success and spoke about the importance of these initiatives vis-à-vis the development journey of Gujarat. Shri Modi’s address was heard by senior officials in the various districts of Gujarat. Those officials who returned from deputation in Delhi were also present during the interaction, which was held in the Sabarmati Hall of Swarnim Sankul-1.
The Chief Minister stated that the Kanya Kelavani initiative has been going on for the last decade and it has brought about a paradigm shift in the thought process of the state Government. He went on to say that it not only created a collective strength and a trust but also integrated every Government department with the education department and the entire team worked in mission mode to make it a success. Shri Modi remarked that this year the Government expects a significant reduction in the drop out rate after Class VII.
The Chief Minister recalled that earlier the ritual of teachers coming and going when as soon as the bell rings was prevalent across the state but this initiative has brought about a change. Talking about Gunotsav he pointed out, “Earlier the picture was disappointing. There were districts with no school with A-grade. If we had not undertaken initiatives such as Gunotsav, salaries would have been paid to teachers, students would come and go but with Gunotsav, we also realized the problem and the cure.”
Speaking about the success of the Shala Praveshotsav initiative, Shri Modi said, “Thanks to this initiative we came out of the stagnancy and now we want to work on quality...We want to give importance to capacity building.” He urged the officials to carefully check their programmes, including the minute details.
The Chief Minister stressed on the use of technology in the working of the Government. He opined that a lot more can be done as far as integrating technology in the working of the Government is concerned. He said, “Like our lives are incomplete without mobile phones, it will be the same for technology. Everything will be linked to it. Just recently I got an email that showed the world’s first virtual mall. Everything was displayed digitally and one can come place the order and leave. See how technology has come in to our lives!” Likewise, he stressed on the need of integrating our youth with technology.
In his speech, the Chief Minister talked about the talent pool initiative that has had incredible results. “We have got almost 100% results…slum children have become skilled,” Shri Modi opined. He recalled his visit to Narmada district in a new school where children of tribal communities were speaking fluent English. He stated that there is no stone that cannot become a sculpture (Murthy), all it needs is a hand that can guide it.
Education Minister Shri Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and Minister of State for Education Smt. Vasuben Trivedi spoke on the occasion. Ms. Sangita Singh, senior official in the Primary Education Department gave a detailed presentation on the occasion.
