Haryana is one of the fastest developing areas of India, with an already established reputation for giving home to the finest schools in the entire country – a fact acknowledged and supported by state institutions such as DSE Haryana, the Directorate for School Education and other official bodies as well.
Though Haryana is mainly an agricultural area and a region driving its revenue from tourism, education has always had its important place in this mythical land. The state has given numerous great people to the country and while their achievement have been are the results of individual excellence, their education has also played a major role in their success.
The Education System in Haryana and DSE Haryana Guidelines and Policies
The main feature that distinguishes Haryana education from schooling in other states – maybe even schooling in most other countries in the world – is the embracement of flexibility. The education system is semester-based and the evaluation is based on a relative grading scale, meaning that students are evaluated based on their own individual development and not based on a general evaluation framework. Haryana is one of the first states to have introduced semesters to give students, teachers and parents alike more sense of achievement, success and freedom when relating to education as a process.
A major initiative promoted by DSE Haryana and a feature that sets Haryana schools apart is relative grading. Class participation and co-curricular activities are also to be factored in when the final grade is being calculated, unit test and external examinations being no longer the single criteria of student evaluation. Relative grading no longer uses the terminology of previously used grading practices. Outstanding, Excellent, Very Good, Good and Fair are the evaluation terms given to the best students, but as motivation can be kept up only in an understanding environment, the worst term used in student evaluation is NPE – Needs Proficiency Enhancement.
Flexibility, education quality and an increased attention to the needs of the student are not only randomly applied – they are formulated in official DSE Haryana policies as well. The institution has distinct and elaborate guidelines for several areas of education, such as learning excursions, the safety measures to be implemented inside the school premises and many other aspects.
Education Institutions
In Haryana you can find public and private schooling institutions alike, the two types not being distinguishable in terms of education quality, differing only in their general grasp on the purpose and role of education, not in terms of excellence.
Numerous public schools in the state, both the ones that offer education at pre-nursery to fifth grade levels and those that educate kids at higher levels are ISO certified, proving that Indian public education is highly competitive, not only at national levels, but at international and world-class levels as well, while private schools or the institutions run by local non-profit organizations work by similarly high standards, too.
While some schools focus on performance, other are more committed to creating a more learner-friendly environment and to adapting a more holistic approach towards learning as such. Some institutions provide a more knowledge and information-based education, while others offer a different definition of success to their students, focusing more on personal and inner development from pre-elementary schooling all the way up to graduation.
Another very important mission embraced by the schools in Haryana is to give every child equal opportunities, to spread education even to the remotest corner of the state, with equally high standards. Many of the local schools participate in international programs that allow children to broaden their range of interests and their knowledge even further.
Extra-Curricular Life
Local schools make it their mission to involve students in as many extra-curricular activities as possible and DSE Haryana offers help and support with all these efforts. Participation in the National School Games, the organization of sports tournaments at block, district and state levels are all aided and facilitated by DSE Haryana, a healthy competitive attitude being a mindset highly valued and promoted by Haryana schools and educational institutions alike.
Haryana education is outstanding at all levels. The flexible, helpful attitude of government institutions such as DSE Haryana and other Haryana govt. bodies create an environment that brings out the best in any child, transforming local schools into special workshops that prepare the kids for life.
Visit the Directorate for School Education for more information.