Chhattisgarh CM Urges Leaders to Boost School Enrolment Drive
Raipur: With schools across Chhattisgarh set to reopen for the new academic session, chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai has urged elected representatives to step beyond ceremonial participation and help identify children who are out of school, turning the state's 'Shala Pravesh Utsav' into a mass enrolment drive.
The statewide campaign, scheduled from June 16 to June 27, aims to ensure that every eligible child is enrolled in school and continues education without interruption.
In a letter addressed to ministers, MPs, MLAs, mayors and panchayat representatives, Sai appealed for active participation in the programme, stressing that access to education must become a collective responsibility rather than the sole task of the education department.
The chief minister asked public representatives to visit schools in their constituencies, interact with students and parents, and help identify children who have either never enrolled or dropped out of the education system. Their involvement, he said, could help transform the annual school enrolment campaign into a broader people's movement.
The appeal comes as the state government seeks to improve enrolment and retention rates while simultaneously upgrading school infrastructure and learning outcomes. Sai said the government is expanding quality education initiatives through PM SHRI schools and plans to establish 150 Vivekananda Schools from 2026 onwards. The schools are expected to focus on modern infrastructure, technology-enabled learning and implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Officials said the enrolment festival will be organised across government schools in urban and rural areas, with a special focus on bringing first-time learners and out-of-school children into classrooms before the academic session gathers pace.
Expressing confidence in the campaign, Sai said wider public participation would be crucial in ensuring that every child in the state is able to exercise the right to education.
