Early Times Report LEH, Jan 2: Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Shri Ashish Kundra, today chaired a review meeting of the School Education, Higher Education, Technical Education and Skill Development Departments to assess progress, challenges, and future roadmaps for strengthening the education and skill ecosystem in the UT. During the meeting, Ms Bhanu Prabha, Secretary, School Education Department, made a detailed presentation outlining the overall status of Education in Ladakh. The presentation covered the current status of schools, teachers and students, the total number of schools and enrolment figures, overall enrolment in government schools, and the evolving school education ecosystem in the UT. She also highlighted key initiatives undertaken by the department, along with the approved budgets and expenditures under Samagra Shiksha, PM SHRI, and PM POSHAN schemes. The status of residential schools and hostels was reviewed, along with challenges faced in implementation. Ms Prabha further informed that a significant improvement in academic results has been observed after the transition from JKBOSE to CBSE, benefiting students in terms of competitiveness and learning outcomes. The discussion on higher education focused on the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA), MoUs with IITs to enhance higher education opportunities, the role of Sindhu Central University, and critical issues requiring attention for strengthening the sector. The Technical Education and Skill Development Department provided an overview of its mandate, ongoing short-term training programmes, and initiatives such as "Enterprising Ladakh" aimed at promoting employability and entrepreneurship among youth. She informed that the UT had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) last year, which has already shown encouraging results with the progress of nearly 150 startups. |