Sonepat DC awarded for promoting seasonal schools

Chandigarh, Jun 16 (UNI) Former President A P J Abdul Kalam has awarded Sonepat Deputy Commissioner Ajit Joshi with a Special Recognition Service Award for his contribution in providing schooling facilities for the children of migrant workers working in brick kilns.

The award was given at a function organised by International Rotary Club in New Delhi recently.

Mr Joshi, who was earlier the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Jhajjar, had introduced a new concept of Seasonal Schools for the children of migrant workers working in brick kilns to fulfil their educational needs, an official spokesman said today.

He opened seasonal schools in 25 brick kilns which benefited 1200 children and provided employment opportunity to 30 persons.

The project got acceptance from UNESCO, International Labour Organisation and the government of India.

In Jhajjar district, there are 410 brick kilns and in each brick clin there are 45 to 75 families of migrant workers. Most these families belong to states like Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh.

These families, he said, migrated to Jhajjar to work in these brick kilns in November and then went back to their respective states in June. During this period there was no schooling facility for the children of brick clin workers.

It was in this background that the idea of seasonal schools was conceived by Mr Joshi, he added.

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