https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Putting Shine on Bihar’s Least Literate District

IAS officer Mr. Kundan Kumar introduced online learning and webinars in the schools of the least developed district of Bihar. For this achievement alone, he has been getting appreciation at national and international levels.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Education is the root to success and keeping this in mind, various IAS officers took it upon themselves to do their best in the field of providing good education to young minds. One such pro-education officer is Mr. Kundan Kumar, a 2004 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre.

Mr. Kumar receiving an award from Prime Minister Narendra Modi

DISMAL CONDITION OF EDUCATION IN BANKA

Banka district of Bihar had an average literacy rate of 58.17 %, which was much below the national average. This, when combined with the startling fact that only 35% of the students passed the Bihar State Board Examination, clearly highlighted the dismal condition of education in the region. Mr. Kumar realized that something had to be done in order to increase the average literacy rate in the state.

Posted as the District Magistrate of Banka district in Bihar, Mr. Kumar launched a program called ‘Unnayan Banka’ meaning Upgrading Banka. This initiative aims to provide quality school education by leveraging technology with a focus on ensuring continuous monitoring and accountability in the system. The approach is towards institutional building, and ensuring sustainability through capacity building of teachers and administration.

Volunteers convincing girls and their families to go to school

EMPTY SCHOOL CORRIDORS

Undoubtedly, there are numerous government schools in Banka, but none of them ever saw a flourishing number of kids sitting inside. Children disliked going to school, owing to the dusty walls, broken chair and generally bad infrastructure of the premises. They were much interested in sitting back at home and surfing the internet.

There was no furniture for students and they were sitting on carpets. Some schools had no science teachers and the students had never learned science as a subject before. But the funny thing was that there existed a computer room with an LED TV, but the rooms was apparently locked for years.

Children hardly came to school

As Mr Kumar said in an interview, “I spent six months among the schools and children, initially studying the constraints in school education, suggesting a model for improving the public education system and skill development and discussing the problems and solutions with my team.’’

LAUNCHING THE PROJECT

With bare minimum resources and little hope, Mr. Kumar and his team initially launched the project in five schools where basic infrastructure, including Smart TV, was available, and identified two highly motivated teachers from these schools. The first 15 days of implementation were extremely difficult – there were electricity cuts at the time of Unnayan classes; schools were not able to play the Unnayan session without IT support and most importantly, they needed a tool for continuous monitoring and accountability.

Children studying under Unnayan Banka

Proper training and motivating sessions were imparted to the teachers to acquaint them with IT operations. “Schools bought inverters from their development funds to avoid interruptions during the Unnayan classes. The support from all these five schools, the education department and the IT team of the district helped us set actionable insights for scaling the project while ensuring accountability through the best use of advancing technology” held Mr. Kumar.

PARTICIPATION OF TRIBAL STUDENTS

The involvement and performance of tribal and minority students were highly encouraging in the pilot phase. Soon, the majority of the students of Unnayan Banka belonged to the tribal and minorities. This initiative had created hopes in the students and their families to excel in academics and provide much-needed support to their families. For students who resided far away from Unnayan Banka schools, Mr. Kumar had arranged mobile vans to reach them.

Active participation of tribal children and minorities

ACHIEVING INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

The online and offline project of Unnayan Banka, which started in the least developed districts of Bihar, won the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management’s international innovation award in 2018.

The prestigious award was received by Mr. Kumar at a function in Georgetown, Guyana. “Defeating Singapore in technology was tough. It is a special feeling when a programme that started in a small place with limited resources gets international recognition.” Mr. Kumar said in an interview.

Mr. Kumar won the the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management’s international innovation award

BANKA TODAY

What initially started in just five schools has now been implemented in all 143 schools in the Banka district. The initiative is also being replicated in different places in India such as Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

It is soon going to be implemented in Classes IX-XII in about 5,000 schools across the country under the Central government’s flagship scheme Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan (UBA). The project is going strong, riding on the enthusiasm of the students and their teachers.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Renewable Energy
India Must Double Renewable Energy Addition to 50 GW Annually to Hit 2030 Goal, Says S&P Global - Details Inside
THDC-resized
THDC India Commissions Nation’s First Variable Speed Pumped Storage Unit at Tehri, Marks Historic Milestone in Renewable Energy - All Details Mentioned Here
Prakash Punj, Patna Sahib
Beautification Work Completed at Prakash Punj, Patna Sahib: A New Landmark for Sikh Heritage & Tourism
Indian Railways
Indian Railways Strengthens Ticketing System with Digital Overhaul & Anti-BOT Measures - Know More
WCL Western Coalfield
WCL Achieves Record Profit Before Tax of Rs. 4,376 Crore in FY 2024–25, All Details Inside
Bihar vegetables
Historic: Bihar Exports Vegetables to Dubai for the First Time: Minister Prem Kumar Flags Off Consignment
Indian Police Services IPS Officer
3 IPS Officers Transferred in Madhya Pradesh Police Department Reshuffle; Priyanka Shukla Made AIG, Bhopal Police HQ
ICAS Service
Ministry of Finance Notifies New Indian Civil Accounts Service Recruitment Rules, 2025 - Here is All You Need To Know
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
Monika Singh’s Life Beyond the Bureaucracy | Video Interview 
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
Modernising Governance: A Digital Transformation in Gangtok
IMG-20250523-WA0036
Abhishek Singh's SECRET: Vipassana, Anthropology & Smart Answer Writing | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Divyanshu Pal Nagar IFS
5 Years, 5 Mains, 4 Interviews: How Divyanshu Pal Nagar Stumbled in CSE, Triumphed in IFS - A Lesson for Every Aspirant
Divyanshu Pal Nagar’s inspiring five-year UPSC journey shows how perseverance, disciplined self-study,...
ANUBHAV SINGH UPSC IFS 2024
9 Years, 8 Attempts, 7 Failures: How Anubhav Singh Cracked UPSC IFS 2024 with AIR 3 Against All Odds | Exclusive
Anubhav Singh’s inspiring journey to UPSC IFS Rank 3 showcases relentless perseverance, strategic preparation,...
Jogender Sihag
“I Cleared UPSC, But My Grandfather isn’t Here to Hear it,” Jogender Sihag, AIR 521, UPSC CSE 2024
"Life is short; make the most of it, whether in civil service or any other field. Just have a clear vision...
Social Media
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
shubham kumar ias marriage
IAS Topper Weds BPSC Topper: Shubham Kumar Marries IRS Officer Priyangi Mehta in Patna; Wedding Video Goes Viral
Topper Couple Alert: Shubham Kumar, Priyangi Mehta’s Wedding Grabs Spotlight in Bihar
parveen kaswan elephant
Elephant Outsmarts Electric Fence! IFS Parveen Kaswan Shares Incredible Video!
In the now-viral 51-second clip, the intelligent giant approaches a wooden pole supporting high-voltage...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Renewable Energy
India Must Double Renewable Energy Addition to 50 GW Annually to Hit 2030 Goal, Says S&P Global - Details Inside
THDC-resized
THDC India Commissions Nation’s First Variable Speed Pumped Storage Unit at Tehri, Marks Historic Milestone in Renewable Energy - All Details Mentioned Here
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
IMG-20250523-WA0036
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT