CHILDREN’S DAY Aparna Banerji Jalandhar, November 8 With the closure of 800 primary schools, due to many students having dropped out, the government, in a bid to encourage more admissions of students at schools at the pre-primary level, has instructed the arrangement of special welcome programmes at schools for pre-primary students on Children’s Day. The move shall ensure a fillip for pre-nursery students willing to seek admission to government schools. As per the instructions, schools shall get the class rooms decked up, organise cultural programmes, special information counters, and various activities to ensure the participation of maximum students in the programmes. Pre-primary classes are being started in continuation with ‘Parho Punjab, Parhao Punjab’, to prepare the students seeking admission to the first standard and to ensure all-round development. The government has decided that a welcome programme shall be organised for pre-primary students on Children’s Day this year. A letter issued by the Education Department in this regard says the sarpanches, panchayat members, school management committee members, dignitaries and anganwadi workers and helpers be called to participate in the programme to welcome students and they be told about the purposes of starting pre-primary classes. As per the instructions, a list of students from three to six years of age be prepared — for which a door-to-door survey of students done on November 9, be referred to —for those to be admitted to pre-primary classes on November 14. The instructions say none of the students between the age of three to six years be devoid of a school education. They also say that those shortlisted to be admitted to schools on November 14, be ensured to be brought to school on the same day. The instructions say the pre-primary classes at schools be decorated with charts, posters, banners. The pre-primary students be brought into these rooms specially decorated for them. If students are not encouraged to indulge in activities like hand printing, folding paper, playing with toys, child songs or telling interesting tales, then an interest to come to school shall be generated in them. The letter also asks the setting up of book corner and toy corner in the rooms where the pre-primary classes shall be held. Information counter be set up at all schools, so that those coming to schools will be given information regarding pre-primary programmes and the benefits to be provided to students of government schools. A registration counter shall also be set up at schools to ensure smooth admissions of students from three to six years of age. A cultural programme shall also be arranged at schools for school management committee members, village sarpanch, panchayat members, village dignitaries and other members who have come to the village. The responsibility for holding these activities lies with the school head, the office heads of the head office, the District Education Officer (Elementary Education), Deputy DEO, DIET, school principal and BPEO among others.

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