Each morning, two yellow college buses decide up youngsters from the slums of Sangrur, Punjab, and take them to varied instructional websites — pond rejuvenation areas, growth initiatives, and academic parks — turning studying right into a enjoyable and interesting expertise.
Outfitted with interactive studying supplies, books, and academic movies, the buses captivate youngsters with their vibrant interiors, illuminated by vibrant LEDs. Every bus has a instructor and two anganwadi staff onboard to offer fundamental training and help the youngsters’s studying journey.
When IAS officer Jitendra Jorwal took cost as District Commissioner of Sangrur, he found that many youngsters within the slums had both by no means enrolled at school or had dropped out. Acknowledging the excessive dropout fee, he collaborated with anganwadi staff, baby safety officers, and the training division to establish the basis 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 wanted to make training extra attention-grabbing — one thing that may permit them to expertise what they have been studying and be taught by seeing real-life initiatives in motion. The actions needed to be participating, enjoyable, and by no means boring,” says Jitender.
This quest led the administration to launch the ‘Colleges on Wheels’ programme, geared toward retaining underprivileged youngsters at school. “Every day, the buses take these youngsters to be taught matters like aquaculture, seasonal farming, pond rejuvenation initiatives, and so on. We wished to inculcate the behavior of studying and interplay, whereas bringing training nearer to them — giving them that further push to attend college. This strategy permits them to be taught in a stress-free setting,” he provides.
The administration additionally offers underprivileged youngsters with new college baggage, hygiene kits, uniforms, toothbrushes, tiffin baggage, and extra. Because of this joyful studying strategy, IAS Jitendra notes that not less than 100 youngsters have re-enrolled at school.
Preeti, 11, had enrolled in a public college however struggled to adapt to the varsity setting. As a substitute of attending lessons, she would accompany her dad and mom for ragpicking, exhibiting little curiosity in research. Nonetheless, after becoming a member of the bus training programme, Preeti found that studying might really be enjoyable.
“Every single day, the bus would arrive at our home, and we’d be excited to see the place our academics 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 academics even taught us inside the varsity bus,” says Preeti. Now a Class 4 scholar, she has been commonly attending college for the previous yr and a half.
This initiative was the primary of many initiatives launched by Jitendra to enhance the lives of underprivileged youngsters and ladies in Punjab.
Combating anaemia and enhancing dietary consciousness in faculties
After he was appointed because the Deputy Commissioner in April 2022, the 2014 batch IAS officer has been making important strides within the district of Sangrur. Aside from the Colleges on Wheels programme, he has been implementing progressive initiatives to handle the challenges confronted by the neighborhood — significantly within the areas of training and well being.
“Well being and training are the essential foundations for a society. When the inspiration is robust, the construction will certainly be strengthened. Ladies and kids comprise 65 % of our society, and I wished to deal with empowering them,” he says.
That very same yr, IAS Jitendra performed a survey in authorities faculties and found that roughly 48 % of scholars throughout 21 faculties have been anaemic. This was regarding, particularly provided 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 youngsters have been hesitant to devour them as a result of misconceptions and lack of know-how. “I learnt that there have been incidences when youngsters took IFA tablets and so they fainted. In fact, their dad and mom bought apprehensive and have been suspicious of the free tablets,” he provides. “After talking to some 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 will not be a typical follow, so most youngsters depend on the mid-day meal offered at college. Nonetheless, they got Iron and Folic acid tablets throughout morning prayers, which put them vulnerable to fainting as a result of 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 food regimen, and educating dad and mom and college students in regards to the significance of taking IFA tablets after meals to keep away from adversarial results.
To make sure easy implementation, groups have been fashioned at block and district ranges to watch the distribution and consumption of those tablets, with common studies despatched to the Deputy Commissioner’s workplace each 15 days.
The administration additionally established kitchen gardens in almost 756 private and non-private faculties to advertise the consumption of iron-rich meals — resembling spinach, fenugreek, carrots, and drumsticks. The mission noticed a major lower in anaemia instances after a second well being survey was performed six months later in January 2024. “The anaemia proportion was delivered to 4 %,” he provides.
Empowering girls via entrepreneurship
Apart from training and well being initiatives, the IAS officer additionally initiated initiatives to advertise entrepreneurship and livelihood alternatives for ladies in native households underneath the PEHEL (Selling Employment of Households via Entrepreneurship and Livelihood) mission.
As a part of this mission, underprivileged girls from self-help teams (SHGs) have been engaged within the manufacturing of college uniforms. “Often, the varsity committees allot the work to contractors however we roped in SHGs underneath the Punjab State Rural Livelihood Mission (PSRLM),” he says.
“Within the first yr, we engaged greater than 150 girls 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 girls to sew college and police uniforms as nicely. This elevated the income to Rs 4.5 crore,” provides Jitendra, who’s at present DC of Ludhiana.
Bridging city and rural instructional gaps with trendy libraries
Furthermore, his dedication to enhancing training 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 reworked 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 girls even have entry to instructional sources.
By his progressive initiatives, holistic strategy, and strategic interventions, Jitendra has established a powerful basis for sustainable progress and growth within the district.
“We’ve got efficiently empowered underprivileged individuals in training, social well-being, and well being via a holistic strategy. Reflecting on the infrastructure and neighborhood growth we’ve given again to society, I really feel an awesome sense of fulfilment,” he remarks.
Edited by Pranita Bhat. All images: IAS Jitendra Jorwal.
