JAMMU, MAY 14: Commissioner Secretary, School Education, Ram Niwas Sharma, Friday visited the Vidya Samiksha Kendra Jammu to review functioning of the integrated educational monitoring and governance system established under the School Education Department.
During the visit, the Commissioner Secretary, as per an official statement, took a comprehensive review of the real-time monitoring mechanisms being implemented through the VSK platform for improving governance, transparency and efficiency in the education sector across the Union Territory.
The officers and technical teams briefed the Commissioner Secretary regarding various digital dashboards, data analytics tools and monitoring modules being utilized for tracking key educational indicators. These included student attendance, teacher attendance, infrastructure status, learning outcomes and implementation of various schemes under Samagra Shiksha.
The Commissioner Secretary reviewed the school attendance scenario across the UT and assessed the district-wise performance. He directed officers to follow up with low-attendance schools and ensure that attendance is marked daily, on time, and by all teachers without fail.
The Project Director Samagra Shiksha, J&K and technical team Vidya Samiksha Kendra briefed the Commissioner Secretary about the progress achieved highlighting the enhancements in Digital Learning achieved through the VSK. This included the launch of new Bots such as Shikshak Sahayak, DigiLearn as well as Smart Attendance, Study Buddy Chatbot, including the recently launched J&K Sarvekshan ChatBot.
The Director, Samagra Shiksha also showcased the Data Monitoring Framework including the Dashboards Platform and the CRM system driven Tele-Calling set up in the VSK.
Ram Niwas Sharma emphasized the importance of technology-driven governance in strengthening the education system. He directed the concerned officers to ensure effective utilization of the platform for evidence-based decision making and timely grievance redressal. Stressing upon data accuracy and regular up-dation, he said that the Vidya Samiksha Kendra would play a pivotal role in enhancing the accountability and improving the quality of education in schools across J&K.
The Commissioner Secretary also interacted with the officials and staff working at the centre and appreciated their efforts in establishing a robust digital monitoring ecosystem for the School Education Department. He asked for further strengthening the coordination with the field functionaries and ensuring optimum use of technology for monitoring the educational initiatives and flagship programmes in the UT.
While reviewing the progress of the low performing districts, the Commissioner issued strict instructions to the Technical team for regular follow up. He suggested the JK VSK team to utilize the entire manpower of the organization to improve the outreach and engagement at the ground level.
Reviewing the district-wise performance of VSK initiatives, Ram Niwas Sharma directed the VSK team to submit detailed district-wise performance data of all the VSK bots to facilitate closer monitoring and assessment of implementation across the districts.
The Commissioner Secretary further directed the officials to convene a review meeting with all the Chief Education Officers (CEOs) regarding the performance of VSK Bots. He cautioned that the Chief Education Officers of the low performing districts shall be put to task.
While reviewing the JK Sarvekshan initiative, the Commissioner Secretary instructed the Samagra Shiksha team to create a dedicated WhatsApp group and ensure that all concerned officials are informed to commence survey filling in a timely manner. During the review, feedback was also provided for improved clarity and inclusiveness while implementing this initiative.
Reviewing the performance of the Parent Pulse Bot, the Commissioner Secretary stressed the need to improve the platform’s outreach, responsiveness and parent engagement to ensure better utilization and user satisfaction.
While reviewing the Shikshak Sahayak Chatbot, an AI Bot for helping Teachers during their classroom engagements, the Commissioner Secretary instructed the VSK Team to enhance the Digital Tools available on the platform. He appreciated the outreach achieved over the last 2 weeks, where over 50 percent of all School Teachers have registered their presence on this Bot.
Ram Niwas Sharma also emphasized on taking the VSK initiative to each district of the UT in the upcoming phase of implementation this year.
The Commissioner Secretary also visited the 2 Digital Studios established at the VSK J&K to review the set up, which fuels the J&K e-Pathshala TV Channel under Samagra Shiksha, J&K, launched earlier this year. Instructions were issued to involve Teachers from across the UT in creating Interactive Videos in Local Language such as Kashmiri, Urdu, Dogarias well as English and Hindi.
Project Director Samagra Shiksha Bhawani Rakwal and other senior officers of the School Education Department, Samagra Shiksha and technical teams were present during the visit.
