Patna: Principals of 700 Saraswati Vidya Niketans (Adarsh Vidyalayas) in Bihar have been given three months to bring significant changes to their institutions with the govt set to assess their performance at the end of the period, education minister Mithilesh Tiwari said on Friday.Addressing a one-day orientation workshop for principals at Gyan Bhawan, Tiwari said teachers were the “agents of change” and urged school heads to improve academic standards, discipline and the learning environment. He said the three-month period was an opportunity to prove themselves, while teachers’ performance would ultimately be reflected in JEE and NEET results next year.Tiwari called for restoring the guru-shishya tradition and asked principals to lead by example through their conduct and behaviour. He also urged them to strengthen academic leadership and maintain close ties with parents.The minister stressed transparency in financial management, directing schools to assign financial responsibilities to more than one employee and fix accountability for every task. He urged schools to use ‘Chetna Satra’ to raise awareness about child safety and stressed environmental protection and inclusive education.Tiwari also emphasised digitalisation and technological leadership, calling for effective use of available resources to improve teaching-learning outcomes.During the workshop, Tiwari, education department secretary Rajiv Raushan and other officials launched the ‘Mera Vidyalaya-Mera Swabhiman’ portal and a classroom observation tool. A Career Guidance and Counselling booklet was also released, while an MoU was signed between SCERT and voluntary organisation Laahi.Rajiv Raushan said Saraswati Vidya Niketans were not merely buildings but centres for building a better future for children. BSEB chairman Thiyagarajan S M, secondary education director Nitin Kumar Singh and primary education director Kumar Nishant Vivek also attended.The portal will enable former students, including NRIs, to reconnect with their govt schools, adopt schools, provide academic guidance and support infrastructure, teaching resources and CSR initiatives.
