In a significant move to promote hygiene and environmental responsibility in educational institutions, the Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) has established a large, state-level monitoring committee. This 72-member team has been tasked with a crucial mission: conducting thorough evaluations of schools that have been pre-selected for two prestigious state awards focused on cleanliness and sustainability.
Massive Verification Drive Before Year-End
The newly formed teams, which are being led by 24 senior officials, have been given a clear deadline. They must complete the on-site verification process for all shortlisted schools by December 15. This initiative is a core part of the state government's strategy to ensure that the assessment process for these awards is completely transparent, fair, and comprehensive.
State project director at JEPC, Shashi Ranjan, explained the broad scope of the awards. He stated that the Mukhyamantri Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar (MSVP) is designed to recognise and reward schools that demonstrate excellence across a wide range of parameters. These include practical and behavioural aspects such as:
- Usable and clean toilet facilities
- Reliable access to safe drinking water
- Functional handwashing stations
- Initiatives that drive positive behavioural change towards cleanliness
- Effective menstrual hygiene management (MHM) facilities
- Overall school safety and infrastructure
- Water conservation efforts
- Activities run by eco-clubs
- Climate-responsive practices
Scale of the Initiative and Selection Process
The selection process began at the district level, where committees have already done the initial shortlisting. For the MSVP award, 11 schools from each district have been chosen for further scrutiny. Meanwhile, for the Swachh Evam Harit Vidyalaya Rating (SHVR) programme, 8 schools per district have been shortlisted.
When tallied at the state level, this translates to a total of 124 schools nominated for the MSVP and 183 schools for the SHVR programme. This wide net ensures participation from educational institutions across Jharkhand.
Rigorous Field Inspection and Final Reporting
The primary role of the 72-member monitoring squad is to validate these district-level nominations. A JEPC official outlined the methodology, which will involve a three-pronged approach:
- Conducting physical field inspections of the shortlisted schools.
- Meticulously verifying all supporting documents submitted by the schools.
- Assigning final grades based on a fixed set of assessment parameters.
JEPC has issued clear instructions to all officials, staff, and faculty members involved across the 24 districts. They are mandated to upload the final ratings for each evaluated school directly onto the dedicated portals created for these programmes.
In addition to the award assessments, the monitoring teams have another important duty. They will review the progress of habitation mapping, a task that all teachers were instructed to complete on the DAHAR 2.0 portal by December 6. Following the completion of all evaluations and reviews, the officials are required to compile and submit a detailed report to the state office, providing a complete picture of the ground realities in Jharkhand's schools.
