Annual school enrolment drive begins in Gujarat; CM pays surprise visit to primary school

'Shala Praveshotsav', an annual drive to enrol students in government-run kindergartens and Class 1 in Gujarat, began on Monday, an official said.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel paid a surprise visit to a government primary school in Golthara village of Gandhinagar district and interacted with students, parents and teachers, a government release stated.

The chief minister presented newly enrolled students with kits and felicitated two girls from the school for their academic achievements, it said.

Nearly 12.7 lakh students will be granted admission to 'balvatikas' or kindergartens and schools across the state during the two-day drive, it said.

At least 2.3 lakh students will be enrolled in Class 1, while 9.77 lakh children under the age of six will be admitted to government-run kindergartens, the release said.

During an interaction, students of the primary school urged Patel to approve a secondary school in the village so that students would not have to go elsewhere after Class 8.

The chief minister assured that he would look into that request and do the needful, it was stated.