In a novel initiative aimed at strengthening the overall development of students, the Rohtak district administration is all set to launch ‘Project Vishwas’ in government schools across the district after the summer vacation.
Designed by the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Rohtak, the programme aims at building confidence, developing leadership qualities, communication skills and life skills among the students of classes V to VIII through structured classroom practices. Private schools will also be invited to voluntarily adopt the project.
Under the initiative, the schools will implement a student participation, confidence and life skills framework built around six pillars, including classroom participation, communication confidence, learning resilience, leadership and initiative, social confidence and inclusion and aspirational and life-readiness confidence. The framework has been designed to strengthen communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, teamwork, empathy, emotional resilience and leadership skills among the students, said Sachin Gupta, Deputy Commissioner.
“The implementation process will begin with orientation programmes for school heads and teachers. The teachers will be trained in classroom participation techniques, confidence-building practices, positive reinforcement methods, inclusive teaching approaches and observation-based monitoring systems. The schools will first conduct baseline observations of students and thereafter integrate confidence-building activities into their regular academic routine,” he added.
Gupta said a variety of activities had been proposed under the programme. These include storytelling sessions, read-aloud exercises, classroom discussions, peer-learning activities, group projects, student presentations, debates, quizzes, problem-solving tasks and morning assembly speaking opportunities. The students will also be encouraged to explain answers before their classmates, participate in group discussions and take up classroom responsibilities on a rotational basis.
“The teachers will maintain simple observation records to assess visible behaviour such as answering questions, asking doubts, participating in discussions, accepting feedback positively, retrying after mistakes, helping classmates and volunteering for responsibilities. A special focus will be placed on identifying hesitant learners and providing them gradual opportunities to participate instead of forcing them into activities. Leadership opportunities will be rotated among the students to ensure wider participation,” he pointed out.
The DC further said the framework also included age-appropriate life skills education. “The students will be exposed to practical themes such as hygiene, road safety, personal safety awareness, first aid, emotional well-being, safe internet use, time management, financial budgeting, digital privacy, emergency response and responsible citizenship,” he added.
“The Haryana Government has consistently prioritised quality education and holistic development of children. Every child has immense potential. ‘Project Vishwas’ will provide every student an opportunity to participate, communicate, lead and grow with confidence. Through this initiative, the schools will further strengthen the development of life skills that are essential for success in higher education, professional careers and responsible citizenship,” the DC concluded.
Another official said, importantly, ‘Project Vishwas’ has not been designed as a ranking or examination system. The individual scores will not be displayed publicly and the students will not be compared with one another. “Instead, the schools will use dashboards and periodic reviews to track progress and provide support where needed,” he added.
