Digital literacy subjects to be included in higher secondary school curriculum Haryana CM

Chandigarh, Dec 13 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday said the state government has decided to introduce digital literacy subjects, including coding, data analysis and digital security, in the higher secondary school curriculum recognizing the importance of new technologies in education.
     In addition, the government will establish "Umeed Counseling" services in every school and career counseling will be made mandatory for all students from Class 9 onwards.
     The government also aims to maintain a teacher-student ratio of 1:30 in the government schools. To support the students, the government will provide an additional scholarship of Rs 3,000 per year to each eligible student under the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme, he said.
     According to an official statement here, Saini was speaking at the inauguration of the ground floor block of Vivekanand Bhawan at Nand Lal Geeta Vidya Mandir School, located in Tepla village, Ambala district.
     During the event, the chief minister also highlighted the importance of environmental conservation by planting saplings on the school premises.
     On this occasion, he announced a financial grant of Rs 31 lakh for Nand Lal Geeta Vidya Mandir.
     Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan has been illuminating the path of education through over 25,000 schools across the country since 1977, said Saini.
     The schools under the Vidya Bharati network are not only providing quality education but also imparting cultural values to children, he said, as per the statement.
     The organisation plays a significant role in educating the youth about Indian culture, civilization and ethics, added Saini.
     The chief minister said the new National Education Policy (NEP) ensures that children receive not only academic knowledge but also moral education and values in schools.
     The Haryana government has launched several initiatives to promote value-based education focused on national character development and respect for traditions, he added.
     Under the NEP, the state is working to establish educational institutions that will provide continuous learning opportunities from Kindergarten to Postgraduate (KG to PG) levels.
     Saini said the government has established 1,420 Model Sanskriti Vidyalayas across the state with the goal of providing high-quality education to children from the most economically disadvantaged families, starting from the primary level.
     These schools are not only focusing on academic excellence but also imparting education rooted in ancient values and cultural traditions.
     He claimed that Haryana is the first state to implement the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) for vocational skills at the school level. Under this initiative, the students from Class 9 to 12 are being provided with various skill training programmes, helping them acquire practical skills alongside their academic education.
     The chief minister shared that under the e-learning scheme, over 5 lakh students from classes 10 to 12 have been provided with free tablets to facilitate digital learning.
     He also said that as part of the National Education Policy 2020, 1,19,000 students from classes 6 to 8 across 1,185 government schools have been given pre-vocational exposure to help them gain practical skills.
     In addition, under the 'Super 100' programme, the meritorious students from the government schools are receiving special coaching free of cost to prepare for competitive exams such as IIT, JEE, NEET and others.
     Saini further said that a total of 704 students from Scheduled Castes who scored 90 per cent or more marks in Class 12 have been awarded cash incentives amounting to Rs 7.81 crore as recognition of their academic excellence.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)