Haryana is going ahead on a mission to provide the Right to Education to every child, as this is the best way of ensuring rapid and inclusive growth in the long run. Journey from literacy to education is a huge leap forward in the direction of providing equal opportunities to all, so that everyone can participate in today’s vibrant economy.

Education for all becomes even more important in the context of modern global knowledge economy. Keeping with the changing trends and needs, Haryana has increased the budgetary allocation for Education Department from Rs 1,600 crore in 2004-05 to Rs 3,200 crore in the current year. We have also declared 2008 as the Year of Education.

Today, education is not only considered a beacon of light to kindle the rays of literacy but is also a key component of planning for development. The state Government is aware that educational opportunities are the tools to bring about socio-economic changes that transform a society into a just and an equitable order. It is by establishing such an order that the noble ideals of our Constitution can be realised and, therefore, to this end my government has been working tirelessly.

The inspiration to promote quality education in Haryana came to me from my grandfather, Chaudhary Matu Ram, who was a crusader in spreading education and abolishing untouchability. He was also the founder president of Jat Educational Society.

Three years ago when we formed Government in Haryana, we focussed on a multi-pronged strategy to ensure that our children get quality education. We took a conscious decision to deviate from the conventional practices and launched reforms in all the three tiers — primary, secondary and higher education. The underlying idea was to lay emphasis on inclusive development in which benefits of education and development would reach all social groups.

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