Every morning, two yellow school buses pick up children from the slums of Sangrur, Punjab, and take them to various educational sites — pond rejuvenation areas, development projects, and educational parks — turning learning into a fun and engaging experience.
Equipped with interactive learning materials, books, and educational videos, the buses captivate children with their colourful interiors, illuminated by vibrant LEDs. Each bus has a teacher and two anganwadi workers onboard to provide basic education and support the children’s learning journey.
When IAS officer Jitendra Jorwal took charge as District Commissioner of Sangrur, he discovered that many children in the slums had either never enrolled in school or had dropped out. Acknowledging the high dropout rate, he collaborated with anganwadi workers, child protection officers, and the education department to identify the root causes.
“Initially, we tried enrolling them, but they soon stopped attending school again. We realised that traditional classroom settings weren’t engaging enough for them. We needed to make education more interesting — something that would allow them to experience what they were reading and learn by seeing real-life projects in action. The activities had to be engaging, fun, and never boring,” says Jitender.
This quest led the administration to launch the ‘Schools on Wheels’ programme, aimed at keeping underprivileged children in school. “Each day, the buses take these children to learn topics like aquaculture, seasonal farming, pond rejuvenation projects, etc. We wanted to inculcate the habit of reading and interaction, while bringing education closer to them — giving them that extra push to attend school. This approach allows them to learn in a stress-free environment,” he adds.
The administration also provides underprivileged children with new school bags, hygiene kits, uniforms, toothbrushes, tiffin bags, and more. Thanks to this joyful learning approach, IAS Jitendra notes that at least 100 children have re-enrolled in school.
Preeti, 11, had enrolled in a public school but struggled to adapt to the school environment. Instead of attending classes, she would accompany her parents for ragpicking, showing little interest in studies. However, after joining the bus education programme, Preeti discovered that learning could actually be fun.
“Every day, the bus would arrive at our house, and we would be excited to see where our teachers would take us. They took us to phal wale bagh (orchards) and parks. I loved seeing the fish. They would also give us new, colourful books, uniforms, and a variety of food. The teachers even taught us inside the school bus,” says the 11-year-old. Now a Class 4 student, Preeti has been regularly attending school for the past year and a half.
This initiative was the first of many projects launched by Jitendra to improve the lives of underprivileged children and women in Punjab.
Combating anaemia and improving nutritional awareness in schools
After he was appointed as the Deputy Commissioner in April 2022, the 2014 batch IAS officer has been making significant strides in the district of Sangrur. Other than the Schools on Wheels programme, he has been implementing innovative projects to address the challenges faced by the community — particularly in the areas of education and health.
“Health and education are the basic foundations for a society. When the foundation is strong, the structure will definitely be strengthened. Women and children comprise 65 percent of our society, and I wanted to focus on empowering them,” he says.
That same year, IAS Jitendra conducted a survey in government schools and discovered that approximately 48 percent of students across 21 schools were anaemic. This was concerning, especially given that the Indian Government had been distributing Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) tablets through its Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) programme to combat the prevalence and severity of anaemia among adolescents.
While the tablets were being distributed every Wednesday, Jitendra observed that many children were hesitant to consume them due to misconceptions and lack of awareness. “I learnt that there were incidences when children took IFA tablets and they fainted. Of course, their parents got worried and were suspicious of the free tablets,” he adds. “After speaking to a few health providers, I learnt that these tablets should not be taken on an empty stomach.”
The IAS officer points out, “In many underprivileged households, breakfast is not a common practice, so most children rely on the mid-day meal provided at school. However, they were given Iron and Folic acid tablets during morning prayers, which put them at risk of fainting due to the lack of food beforehand.”
In 2023, he introduced changes to the mid-day meal programme, adding iron-rich foods and folic acid tablets to the diet, and educating parents and students about the importance of taking IFA tablets after meals to avoid adverse effects.
To ensure smooth implementation, teams were formed at block and district levels to monitor the distribution and consumption of these tablets, with regular reports sent to the Deputy Commissioner’s office every 15 days.
The administration also established kitchen gardens in nearly 756 public and private schools to promote the consumption of iron-rich foods — such as spinach, fenugreek, carrots, and drumsticks. The project saw a significant decrease in anaemia cases after a second health survey was conducted six months later in January 2024. “The anaemia percentage was brought to four percent,” he adds.
Empowering women through entrepreneurship
Aside from education and health initiatives, the IAS officer also initiated projects to promote entrepreneurship and livelihood opportunities for women in local households under the PEHEL (Promoting Employment of Households through Entrepreneurship and Livelihood) project.
As part of this project, underprivileged women from self-help groups (SHGs) were engaged in the production of school uniforms. “Usually, the school committees allot the work to contractors but we roped in SHGs under the Punjab State Rural Livelihood Mission (PSRLM),” he says.
“In the first year, we engaged more than 150 women to stitch 10,000 school uniforms. They generated a turnover of Rs 1.5 crore. In the second year, we expanded the work by engaging 450 women to stitch school and police uniforms as well. This increased the revenue to Rs 4.5 crore,” adds Jitendra, who is currently DC of Ludhiana.
Bridging urban and rural educational gaps with modern libraries
Moreover, his commitment to improving education led to the establishment of modernised libraries in both urban and rural areas. Drawing from his own experience of the importance of libraries during his UPSC preparation, he transformed the district library in Sangrur into a state-of-the-art facility, complete with centralised air conditioning, competitive exam books, computers, and a seating capacity of 350. Additionally, he set up 26 village libraries to ensure that rural women also have access to educational resources.
Through his innovative projects, holistic approach, and strategic interventions, Jitendra has established a strong foundation for sustainable growth and development in the district.
“We have successfully empowered underprivileged persons in education, social well-being, and health through a holistic approach. Reflecting on the infrastructure and community development we’ve given back to society, I feel a great sense of fulfilment,” he remarks.
Edited by Pranita Bhat. All photos: IAS Jitendra Jorwal.
