Soochak along with Happy Horizons Trust organised the 2nd Shiksha Samvaad event at the Kala Bhawan, Saharsa on the 3rd August in the presence of Shri Manoj Kumar, DPO; Shri Amit Kumar, PO, and Shri Anil Das as the guests of honour. The event was anchored by Shri Anand Jha sir. The headmasters and principals from high and middle schools in Saharsa district participated in the event, along with the champions who are a beneficiary of the Youth Leadership Development Program, and their parents.
As per the census 2011, data, the literacy rate of Saharsa district was around 53.2% and the female literacy rate was around 40% . The district ranked 29th out of 38 districts in Bihar in education. This is really ironical, because in the same district lies a village that has a lot of IAS and IPS officer families.
Over the years Happy Horizons Trust has been working to improve the quality of education in the schools and engage with the different stakeholders. Over 6 years ago, we started with telling stories to children in the primary schools. Then we launched the Youth Leadership Development Program. Slowly we started to engage with the teachers and then the District Education Office. Later we initiated the Community participation by organising community meets across the groups. so, in a true system design approach, we slowly start to engage with all the stakeholders. This is an integral part of the system design.
The theme for the event was the development of education in the Saharsa district and Koshi region. The teachers play a crucial role in the development of the child and it’s their efforts that have a direct relation to the learning outcomes being achieved in the schools.
The chief guest, Shri Manoj Kumar, appreciated the trust for the Shiksha Samvaad initiative, and put the emphasis that it is important event for the region. He mentioned that education is a key element for the development of the region. He also emphasised on the need for students to think about innovations, and requested the teachers to encourage children to do so. He also spoke about the need for the holistic development of the students.
Shri Amit Kumar, mentioned that an event like this provides a wonderful opportunity for the different stakeholders to come together and engage in health dialogues that can be beneficial for the development of the region.