Gadchiroli district administration has launched a new scheme to expose students of 50 tribal residential and Zilla Parishad schools to an “inspirational interface” with young honorary teachers from across India, who have been appointed as “Education Fellows”. is.
This scheme named ‘Educate Gadchiroli Fellowship’ is financially supported by NITI Aayog. The district administration has invited applications from young graduates and postgraduates from leading universities and educational institutions to stay in schools located in remote parts of the Naxal-affected district for one year. They will not only teach different subjects to the students of classes VIII to X, but will also act as a “support system” to “turn the schools into centers of excellence”.
Out of more than 200 applications received from across the country, the district administration has selected 40 candidates, who come from different institutions with different disciplines.
NITI Aayog has provided Rs 1 crore for this scheme. There are also IIT and engineering graduates from some of the premier institutes, while some have received their education from leading universities like Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Amity, Azim Premji, and also from educational institutions located out of Pune and Mumbai. Huh. Like other states with private universities. They will stay for a year in the places where schools – 38 ashram (residential) schools and 12 Zilla Parishad schools are located.
The process of partner selection ended a fortnight ago, but uncertainty remains about the reopening of schools COVID-19However, that has halted the beginning of actual teaching.
“They will be paid an honorarium of Rs 30,000 per month apart from accommodation and travel expenses. Many people dropped out after the interview because of the offer of money. We also wanted scholars to work for the students and not just for the salary. This is a fellowship, not a job,” said Gadchiroli Collector Deepak Singla.
When asked how the idea was conceived, Singla said, “NITI Aayog has sought ideas for something new. So, we put our heads together and thought about the idea of Shiksha Saathis. This idea was born out of the discussion we had about students, and why they find it difficult to crack SSC and HSC exams. The students complained about the shortage of teachers. To teach teachers in such inaccessible places, it is difficult to get at least all good teachers. So we thought we might try out the fellowship idea. We submitted the plan to NITI Aayog, which immediately accepted it and took it forward. Appeals were made to leading educational institutions and universities inviting applications. “Three panels headed by the Collector, Zilla Parishad CEO and Project Officer of Integrated Tribal Development Project were formed to interview the candidates. The panel also included experts from universities on relevant subjects,” Singla said.
“We expect the fellows to not only teach the subjects but also expose the students to the outside world about which they know very little. They should inspire the students to excel in life. That if we are able to produce 50 good students from each of these schools, who can make a grade of excellence, then this scheme will serve its purpose,” Singla said.
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