Inviting volunteers for government schools: The government's Vidyanjali initiative

With the aim of getting citizens like you and me more involved in the educational process in the country, HRD minister Smriti Irani kicked off the government's Vidyanjali scheme on Thursday. The idea is simple. Citizens can now register themselves for volunteer work at government schools, either at the ministry's website or through an app.  The initiative will cover 2200 schools across 21 states of India. However, 2100 schools have been included in the initial stages, and depending on the response of this pilot project, the number will be increased slowly.The HRD minister described the scheme as " a constructive effort to engage participatory citizenry", as per the PIB on Twitter. She also stated that with this initiative children in government schools will feel that they are a part of "team India".

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Citizens who volunteer for this initiative will be able to help out with non-academic activities which could involve teaching the arts and improving the children's reading skills, but not regular teaching, reports The Hindu. Also, people who come forward to volunteer would need to have some sort of basic qualification in the subject or skills that they intend to educate students with.

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This is no doubt a positive initiative for the students of government schools, where due to lack of proper teaching staff and amenities, students are always found lacking when compared with those in private insititutions.  There already is a private initiative on similar lines called TeachForIndia, which also invites citizens to train and work full time with government schools. However, through Vidyanjali the government is hoping to tap those of us who have some extra hours to spare and want to contribute to the nation's growth.

Feature Image Credit: The Hindu