The education department of Haryana has decided to engage the loudspeakers installed at religious places to encourage the students to wake up at 4:30 with an aim to help them in preparing for the upcoming board examinations. According to a report by the Times of India, the state education department has started an initiative called "mass alarm" that would help students to wake up early in the morning.
As per the initiative, the loudspeakers installed at temples, mosques, churches, gurdwaras and other places of worship will make a special announcement for students. It is for sure that the alarm would hamper the sleeping hours of all the residents, but the education department said the initiative will benefit the students who are about to appear in class 10th and 12th board examinations. Though the Haryana Board of School Education has not released the date sheet 2023 for classes 10, and 12, it is expected the examinations would commence in early March.
Panchayat heads have to ensure no loud music and long party in their villages
Meanwhile, speaking to the media, the education department said that the "mass alarm" initiative will definitely assist the board students in improving their marks, especially for those enrolled in government schools. Also, the official underscored that the students had already lost their precious time due to the transfer and rationalisation exercises, and added the department has also cancelled the two-week winter break from Christmas. However, cancellation of leave will only apply to students who will write board exams.
Speaking on the implementation, the officials said that the panchayat heads were advised to ensure the announcement from the religious sites and added "sarpanches must ensure no loud music and long partying will be organised in their villages". However, the education department said the recommendations are not compulsory.
"We have just 70 days left for the board exams. This year was rather a busy one for school education. There were workshops, training and special programmes to bridge learning gaps. We also tried to fix the lapses in resource utilisation in government schools through the school rationalisation and general transfer drive, which compromised teaching time, roughly six weeks. That needs to be covered, "Anshaj Singh, director of secondary education, who issued the directions on Thursday, told TOI.
"So, we have suggested remedial efforts to ensure students are well prepared for the exams," Singh added.
Mixed reactions from both teachers and panchayat heads
Besides, Singh said that the teachers were directed to ensure student attendance in their schools from 72-90%. Also, teachers were asked to take extra classes from 10 am to 2 pm during the winter break. Further, he said that a special monitoring group will be formed on WhatsApp where the educators will ensure announcements from the religious site.
However, the initiative has not been welcomed by all the groups including teachers and panchayat heads. While teachers expressed concern over the implementation as they were already burdened with other government-related works, the panchayat heads termed it a "risky affair" as there were chances where both temples and mosques start competing. "And in case of a clash, who will the government favour?" questioned a panchayat head.
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