By Satyaki Paul
On September 7, 2021 during the inaugural event of Shikshak Parv which was conducted through video-conferencing, the Vidyanjali 2.0 portal was launched by our Hon’ble PM Modi. As per him, this will aid in enhance the motto of “Sabka sath Sabka vikas”.
This brings us to the first question: what is Vidyanjali 2.0?
Vidyanjali 2.0 is a union of the words Vidya meaning “correct knowledge” or “clarity” and Anjali meaning “an offering with both hands” in Sanskrit language. It is an initiative taken by the Ministry of Education, Government of India with the aim to strengthen Schools through community and private sector involvement in schools across the country. This will facilitate volunteers, donors and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) contributors for school related development. The volunteers can range from young professionals, school alumni, in service and retired teachers/Government officials/professionals and so on.
Secondly, what are the sub-components of this scheme?
Vidyanjali can be segmented into two parts:
- Participate in school Service/Activity: In this, volunteers can participate in co-scholastic services/activities in government school with relevant knowledge and skill set and bridge the knowledge / skill / human resource gap in the institute. This can be further divided at the Generic Level and the Sponsorship level which contains numerous parts.
- Assets/Material/Equipment: In this, the volunteers can contribute to school for strengthening the school infrastructure.
In this context, please note that the vidyanjali scheme is a diverse one. More information can be directly obtained from the website through: https://vidyanjali.education.gov.in/en/about-us
Thirdly, what is Shikshak Parv? Why Vidyanjali was launched in this event?
The Shiksha Parv was a event which was organized by the Ministry of Education from September 5 to September 17 (this year) to recognize the contributions of teachers and to take New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 a step forward. The theme of “Shikshak Parv-2021” is “Quality and Sustainable Schools: Learning from Schools in India”. Our Hon’ble PM Modi launched numerous initiatives in the education sector on this occasion to enhance the scope of education in Indian context. And, Vidyanjali is one such scheme amongst them.
Fourthly, what did PM Modi say on education during this event?
PM Modi lauded the athletes who won numerous accolades in the recent Olympic and Paralympic games. He further added, “Education should not only be inclusive but also be equitable. Interactive books and audiobooks are part of the education system now. A dictionary for Indian Sign language has been formed. For 1st time in the country, Indian Sign language is being included as a subject in the curriculum”.
Lastly, what other schemes were launched in this event?
Apart from vidyanjali portal PM Modi also launched the Indian Sign Language Dictionary which is a form of audio and text embedded sign language video for the hearing impaired. This dictionary is in conformity with Universal Design of Learning, along with “Talking Books”, which are audiobooks for the visually impaired. Among other initiatives unveiled by the prime minister include School Quality Assurance and Assessment Framework of CBSE and National Initiative for School Heads and Teachers Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) teachers’ training programme for National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat).