Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 15/06

SPECIAL DRIVE ON EDUCATION, MIDDAY MEAL LAUNCHED

With an intention to bring all-round development and general well-being of the people in rural areas of West Garo Hills, the District administration has launched a Special Drive from the first week of January this year to create awareness among the rural masses on Universalization of Education or Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Midday-Meal scheme of the government

In order to motivate the people and to get their support and participation for proper implementation of the above schemes in the district, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. P. Sampath Kumar convened a meeting with the DIs of schools, heads of institutions, BDOs, BMCs, CRCs and various social organisations on January 4, 2006

During the meeting, the Deputy Commissioner informed that the District administration has come up with a plan to conduct Special Drive to change the present scenario throughout the district and sought the support and cooperation from the NGOs and teachers to work together to bring positive changes in the region. He also directed all the BDOs to convene a block-level meeting latest by January 10 in their respective blocks in this regard

The Deputy Commissioner had also written a letter to all the village nokmas asking them to convene a meeting with the parents and elders on the need for quality education for their children, implementation of midday-meal, proper health facilities in the village and overall development in their villages. The meeting would also select a group of representatives to go and meet the teachers concerned by January 24 and communicate their resolve to send their children to school, to seek quality education and appeal to the teachers to come to school regularly. The villagers on the other hand, should give assurance to the teachers of their support and cooperation by way of providing accommodation and facilities for the teachers’ stay in the village

For implementation of MDM, the village community would resolve to arrange kitchen-shed and firewood and engage a self-help group (SHG) or form a mother’s committee to see that good food is prepared for the children. In order to cut down transportation cost, it has also been decided that from this year onwards, instead of going all the way to market places, the lifting point of rice for MDM would be the fair price shop in the village itself