Schools to track pupils' health and growth
The state government through a circular has asked all schools to compile the data before April 25.
Mumbai: The state government has asked all schools in Maharashtra to include collection and compilation of health and growth data of students in the “child tracking system.” While the earlier system only tracked academic progress, it has now been upgraded to include health, examination and scholarship information of every child.
According to sources in the education department, the idea is to arrest the dropout rate, and track repetition, promotion and retention of children during the academic year. Through this, the state will be in a position to formulate policies for each child based on parameters such as health and education combined.
The student database management information system (SDMIS), which is an integral component of U-DISE (unified district information system for education), will look into the information of every student registered under SDMIS, including general, personal, academic, scholarship, attendance, disability, achievement, examination, family, midday meals, facilities and health.
The state government through a circular has asked all schools to compile the data before April 25.
Officials of the state education department said that through SDMIS, the department will document the data of every student, which can then be referred to in future for the benefit of the concerned student.
“In case of any kind of untoward incident where a child goes missing etc., the SDMIS data can be used for tracking. In the event the student fails or drops out of school, he or she can be provided the best academic option according to his or her past academic record (school or government),” said an official of the state education department. SDMIS will also be used to store certificates and report cards of students.
A senior official of the education department said, “We have got instructions from the state government and now, our next step is to instruct schools to start compiling data of students and submit it to us as soon as possible.”
SDMIS will also create a platform for the vocational education system by monitoring students’ vocational courses options at the secondary level. It will also help monitor parameters of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.