A first: Parent-teacher meeting in 1,000 government schools

Deputy CM Manish Sisodia addresses a press conference at Delhi Secretariat on Thursday. (Photo: PTI) In a unique initiative for rounded development of students in government schools in the national capital, the AAP government will be organising a mega Parent Teacher Meeting in 1,000 schools on July 30. “This is the first ever PTM being held in government schools, that too on such a large scale. So far, PTMs were not held in government schools at all. But now it will be held biannually in government schools,” deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said on Thursday.

Under this initiative the parents will get an opportunity to meet the class teacher as well as various subject teachers to know about the academic performance of their wards. So far, PTMs were a held only in high-profile public schools. “The focus of the PTM will be to encourage one-to-one communication between parents and teachers. The parents should celebrate the occasion as it is being held to improve the quality of education in schools,” Mr Sisodia added. He also urged the parents to give feedback and share their grievances during the meeting.

The teachers will brief the parents about the new academic plan under which level wise learning support is to be given to all students and efforts are to be made for improving their learning skills throughout the session. The classes have been grouped from KG to Class 8 for discussions on various aspects of learning with special emphasis on students’ diet, cleanliness and their punctuality to school.

The government has been running a major awareness campaign to promote this first-of-its-kind initiative where parents are being invited as equal stakeholders in the education of their children. The government has emphasised that parents’ participation in their child’s education will no more be just for private schools.

For Class 9 students, the teachers will make the students aware of the non-applicability of the non-detention policy and the failure of a majority of students in Class 9 examination.

“The students have been segregated into three groups: the first group consists of students who have passed Class 9 examinations, the second of those who have not cleared Class 9 exams for a year and the third category consists of students who have been unable to clear Class 9 examinations for two years or more. For such students, the government has initiated its ambitious Chunauti programme, which aims at getting these students to pass Class 10 exams by the year 2018,” an official said.

Parents of students of Class 9, who have failed twice or more, will be informed about the modified Patrachar scheme of exams. “The parents will be told to monitor their wards regularly and the feedback received by the parents will be notified by the schools,” the official added.

Mr Sisodia also announced that on every Friday between 12 pm and 1 pm, the education officials would be available at their offices to meet the parents.