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New Indian Express
27-04-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Udiyan Tara: How Jharsuguda's colourful classrooms are shaping young minds
JHARSUGUDA: Jharsuguda's government schools are witnessing a significant change. In the last two years, the classrooms have become colourful and the students in them, better at learning. If the Ministry of Education's Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) is any indication, there has been an improvement in learning outcomes of children in the district's government schools, be it their ability to read or do basic arithmetic like substraction and division. This is not all. In the overall HSC (Class 10) results of the state, Jharsuguda has improved its rank from 15 in 2023 to five last year. This turnaround didn't happen overnight. 'Udiyan Tara' (a Sambalpuri term which translates to Rising Stars), a dedicated initiative by the Jharsuguda administration under Samagra Shiksha, has been able to bring about improvement in students' foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) skills, which are considered the bedrock of a child's education. The ASER-2024 of Jharsuguda indicates that 87.7 per cent (pc) of children aged 6-14 are enrolled in government schools. While 63.2 pc are able to read English class books, 54.9 pc can do basic arithmetic. In 2022, the ASER had found out that 53 pc of the students were able to read English at a basic level and 40.2 pc could do simple arithmetic. Realising the need for FLN improvement, the district administration had in 2023-24 academic session launched 'Udiyan Tara' covering all students of government schools. The initiative aimed at bringing students on par with their syllabus through remedial classes and continuous academic monitoring, said collector Aboli Sunil Naravane. Besides the regular students, teachers also brought long absentees and dropouts back to classes and every student's gradewise learning capabilities were identified through baseline assessments. 'This helped us identify the slow learners in every school and we framed interesting teaching-learning materials and remedial classes and activities for them to improve their learning,' the collector said. With Sambalpuri being the spoken language, Odia books of different grades were also translated into the local language. The primary focus was on remedial learning. While in the 2023-24 session, remedial classes for slow learners were held for one period every Friday followed by an assessment on Saturday, such classes were conducted every day for two periods after class hours followed by a monthly assessment in 2024-25 session. A reading festival 'Pathana Parbana' for students of Class I to XII was also a part of the initiative. The consistent efforts have paid off with schools posting good learning gains in ASER evaluations. However, the exercise also brought to fore the gap that exists between the language spoken by the child at home and the medium of teaching in schools. To address it, the district administration and Samagra Shiksha recently launched a primer in Sambalpuri language for early learners. It will serve as a bridge between children's mother tongue (Sambalpuri) and Odia language as taught in the textbooks. The idea was to ease students into learning Odia through their own language. The primer will be supplied to 4,459 Shishu Vatikas and Class-I students studying in 517 primary schools in the district.
New Indian Express
23-04-2025
- Climate
- New Indian Express
Jharsuguda sizzles at highest-ever April temperature of 46.2 degree C
JHARSUGUDA: A severe heatwave threw normal life out of gear in Jharsuguda which recorded its highest-ever April temperature of a blistering 46.2 degree Celsius on Tuesday. The last highest temperature of 46.1 degree C was recorded in the district on April 20, 2010. The scorching conditions forced residents indoors, with streets and marketplaces wearing a deserted look, especially during peak hours. Daily activities were severely affected across the district, as people struggled to cope with the extreme heat. The situation was worse for miners working in the four opencast and two underground mines of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited. The mines usually record three to four degree Celsius higher temperature compared to the normal areas, making it impossible for miners to work in the searing heat. Sources said major towns like Brajrajnagar, Belpahar, Bandhbahal and Banharpali registered even higher temperature of 47.8 degree C. The district administration has put in place several precautionary measures in response to the unprecedented heatwave. Chief district medical officer (CDMO) Dr Mahesh Mohan Panda said special heatstroke wards with air conditioning, ORS and essential medicines have been set up at all PHCs, CHCs, and the district headquarters hospital. ASHA workers have been provided adequate stock of ORS packets and trained health personnel are on standby. District collector Aboli Sunil Naravane directed the industries operating in the region to stop outdoor work from 10 am to 4 pm, ensure water breaks, rest and cooling arrangements for workers, and maintain uninterrupted power and water supply in all affected areas. Industries have also been directed to halt outdoor operations from 11 am to 3 pm. Additionally, over 10,000 awareness leaflets have been distributed and ORS packets supplied to truck drivers through transport associations and the regional transport office. So far, 10 cases of heat-related illness have been reported in the district though all patients are stable.
