Education minister to conduct surprise checks in 100 schools through the year

In a bid to strengthen the foundation of school education the Maharashtra government under the directives of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched the Visit to 100 Schools initiative which is designed to evaluate school conditions implement necessary improvements and enhance the overall quality of education for studentsAs part of the initiative on the first day of the academic year 202526 the chief minister deputy chief ministers cabinet ministers and MLAs will visit schools in their respective constituencies to personally welcome students Additionally the school education minister and department officials will conduct random inspections of 100 schools throughout the year to review their infrastructure academic standards and overall operationsArundhati Chavan president of Parents Teachers Association United Forum who believes the initiative has potential to instil accountabilityA formal government resolution will be issued soon outlining the execution of this initiative Elected representatives will be expected to visit at least one school in their constituency or nearby areas on the first day of school Education officers PrimarySecondary will coordinate with district collectors to ensure smooth implementation of the initiativeThe plan also mandates that key officials including the school education minister district collectors tehsildars chief executive officers group development officers and Class 1 and Class 2 officers working in government agencies at the district level visit 100 schools throughout the academic year ldquoThese visits will focus on reviewing school operations monitoring academic quality and evaluating available facilitiesrdquo said an official from the school education departmentGoals of initiativeThe initiative officials said will encourage direct engagement between officials educators and students to address realtime challenges in schools During their visits representatives and officers will interact with the school management committee president sarpanch and gram panchayat members to explore ways to boost student enrolment particularly in district council schools in rural areas The visits will assess physical infrastructure and safety of school buildings availability and functionality of toilets and clean water supply quality of sports facilities and supplementary educational arrangements efficiency of school administration and hygiene practices among students and effectiveness of the school nutrition programme If hazardous infrastructure nonfunctional facilities or other critical issues are identified immediate corrective measures will be taken to ensure a safe and conducive learning environment for studentsldquoThe idea is that through this initiative we aim to foster a positive outlook toward education among society and parents enhance studentsrsquo confidence and ensure equal access to quality education By involving top leadership in school visits the initiative aims to bridge gaps in education policies and their realworld implementation thereby strengthening the statersquos education systemrdquo said a senior official from the school education departmentlsquoA valuable effortrsquoWelcoming the initiative Sushil Shejule president of Aamhi Shikshak We Teachers emphasised the importance of handson decisionmaking ldquoMany policies are formulated in airconditioned offices only to later prove ineffective and require revisions or cancellations This initiative should not become another such endeavour Instead it offers a practical approach to identifying school shortcomings assessing conditions firsthand and implementing necessary improvements If elected representatives and top educational officials visit the schools they will witness and know the issues firsthand instead of schools chasing them to bring the problems they face to their notice This will ultimately benefit students and the education system as a wholerdquo he statedArundhati Chavan president of the organisation Parents Teachers Association United Forum acknowledged the initiative as a positive step ldquoAs an organisation representing both parents and teachers we believe this is a valuable effort However we are keen to see the specific guidelines and framework for its execution as well as how effectively it is implemented If carried out with seriousness and sincerity this initiative can instil accountability in schools teachers education officials and even elected representatives and ministersrdquoldquoThat said it should be mandatory for all officials and elected representatives to submit a detailed report on their visits This would ensure that any necessary interventions for school improvements are documented and acted upon Lastly just visiting and identifying issues will not be enough the true impact will be measured by how much change is implemented after these visitsrdquo she addedlsquoHope execution is effectiversquoPrashant Kadlag a teacher at a private aided school highlighted the challenges educators face in getting their concerns addressed ldquoOften we have to run from pillar to post just to meet the education minister and even securing a meeting with education officials is a timeconsuming task Even when we do manage to meet them therersquos no certainty that the issues we raise will be resolved If this initiative is properly implemented and officials along with elected representatives actively visit schools we will have the opportunity to directly show them the conditions on the ground and seek their support Seeing the situation firsthand will prompt them to take necessary action I sincerely hope this initiative is executed effectively and continues in the long runrdquo he said