Gujarat school enrolment drive 2022: Over 5 lakh children admitted to Class 1

As many as 5.72 lakh children, including 2.80 lakh girls and 2.91 lakh boys, were enrolled in Class 1 in the presence of dignitaries across the state, the Gujarat education minister said.

Gujarat conducts an annual drive, Shala Praveshotsav to enrol students in government-run schools. This year, nearly 5.72 lakh children were admitted in Class 1 during the three-day-long Shala Praveshotsav, said state Education Minister Jitu Vaghani. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel launched the 17th edition of Shala Praveshotsav on June 23 from a government-run primary school in Banaskantha's Vadgam taluka.

2.80 lakh girls enrolled in Class 1

As many as 5.72 lakh children, including 2.80 lakh girls and 2.91 lakh boys, were enrolled in Class 1 in the presence of dignitaries across the state, the minister said. Approximately 30,880   government-run primary schools in the state were covered during the enrolment drive. During the drive, 2.30 lakh children, including 1.12 girls, were also admitted in anganwadis and kindergartens across the state," Vaghani told reporters in Gandhinagar.

The minister further informed that the state schools enrolled at least 1,775 physically-challenged children in Class 1 during this drive.

Donations worth INR 28.53 crore received

Prominent citizens and donors had donated cash and articles worth INR 28.53 crore as their contribution to encourage children to come to school, he said.

In Kashipura village of Banaskantha district, a local resident gifted a piece of land worth INR 10 lakh for education purposes, the minister said.

"As many as 494 classrooms, built at a cost of Rs 25.93 crore, were inaugurated during the drive. Transportation facility for students in 2,364 schools was also launched as part of the programme," he said.

According to the minister, the enrolment drive was first started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2003 when he was the state's CM.  Gujarat's gross enrolment ratio has gone up to nearly 100 per cent, the minister claimed.

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