On May 2, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren had inaugurated 80 government Schools of Excellence, as part of an academic reform to provide quality English-medium education on a par with private schools.
The state government of Jharkhand has recently announced the selection of approximately 10,590 out of more than 41,000 applicants for admission to 80 government-run Schools of Excellence. These schools were established with the aim of providing high-quality English-medium education that is on par with private schools. According to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, out of the 11,936 available seats, 7,499 students have secured admissions in classes one, six, and nine. The number of applications received far exceeded the total number of seats, with a significant increase of 345%.
These 80 Schools of Excellence are part of a larger initiative by the government to ensure quality education for 1.5 million children in government schools. The government’s plan includes the establishment of 325 block-level schools and 4,091 model schools at the gram panchayat level in the second phase of the initiative.
To enhance the effectiveness of these schools, online training for the principals has been conducted by the National Center for School Leadership. Additionally, the students attending these Schools of Excellence will receive vocational training in eleven different trades, including agriculture, IT, apparel and make-up, media and entertainment, automotive, tourism and hospitality, beauty and wellness, multi-skilling, electronics and hardware, retail, and healthcare.