Gunotsav-2023 concluded in the second fortnight of February with the participation of 44,530 schools (Govt./Provincialised, Tea Garden Management schools, Adarsha Vidyalaya, Tea Garden Model schools, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalaya) and evaluation of 41,27,907 students from classes I to IX by external evaluators in three phases.
The exercise began on January 18, 2023 wherein Cabinet ministers, MPs, and MLAS, bureaucrats, police officers, Grade-1 and Grade-II officers visited schools in their capacity as external evaluators across the length and breadth of the State.
They evaluated the performance of the students on scholastic in both skill (reading, writing & numeracy/basic mathematical operations) and subject areas as well as other indicators of the schools.
Some of them also interacted with students, teachers, parents/guardians, community members etc. during their visit.
The third phase of Gunotsav-2023 began on February 15 and ended three days later eight districts namely Bongaigaon, Cachar, Darrang, Dibrugarh, Dima Hasao, Goalpara, Morigaon, Nalbari and in Biswanath (part of Sonitpur district). A total of 11,56,318 students from classes I to IX of 11,912 schools were evaluated in the last phase.
“Gunotsav has introduced us to newer and modern ways of educating children. It is a boon for institutions in the rural areas,” said Bhupen Gohain, Principal (In-Charge) of Dibrugarh Sasoni Jamunamukh High Secondary School.
One of the officers who evaluated schools in Chirang shared the enthusiasm of children, teachers and guardians from the district. “I was allotted three schools, one Primary and two Middle schools. The Primary School had 75 students from multi-ethnic backgrounds, whose education in Assamese and Bodo mediums was being taken care of by three teachers. The school was at the centre of ethnic strife a decade back, and there were challenges. Yet, the enthusiasm was there to see,” he told Asom Barta on condition of anonymity.
He said that one of the Middle schools had over a hundred students with twelve teachers, and another had over 300 students with 13 teachers. He informed this reporter that in one middle school, an incident of a child marriage was reported.
