Srinagar, Jan 15: The "My School My Pride" initiative, implemented in government schools across Kishtwar district, is gaining popularity as School Management Committees (SMCs) actively contribute to the beautification and learning enhancement of these institutions.

Dr Devansh Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Kishtwar, told Rising Kashmir that the District Administration Kishtwar, in collaboration with the School Education Department Kishtwar, has started the "My School My Pride" initiative across the district. This initiative aims to activate all the school management committees that have been inactive for the past few years in all the government schools in the district, he said.

"These school management committees consist of parents of the students, teachers and one PRI Member. The school management committee has a president, vice president and other members who will take care of the students' learning and other activities in the Government schools," Yadav said.

DC Kishtwar said these school management committees have been fully activated, with proper representation of women. "The parents, especially the school management committees, are using their own resources to paint the school walls with BALA (building as learning aids) paintings. These paintings depict the learning process of the students in the schools," he said.

"Currently, we have more than 800 government schools in the district. The school management committees aim to cover all elementary, primary, and middle schools in the district. The paintings on the school walls, done by the school management committees, will also contribute to the learning enhancement of the school children in the government schools," he added.

The DC praised the commitment and interest shown by parents in enhancing the learning environment for their children. He emphasized that the expenses incurred by parents in this initiative are voluntary and reflect a keen interest in transforming government schools into vibrant learning spaces.

"This is an initiative that the district administration, in collaboration with the education department Kishtwar and India Education Collective, and NGO, has started for one year," Yadav said.

The DC said that during the year 2023, 1400 school children were brought back into mainstream education from the tribal areas of Kishtwar under the 'Back to School' initiative. "So every child from the district will get an education," he noted. 

He commended the positive response from parents, highlighting their commitment to the "My School My Pride" initiative, and expressed plans to extend the coverage to all primary schools in the district.