Dreams do, sometimes, come true

Doctor-turned-bureaucrat, Priyanka Shukla, has started a 'Dream 30' campaign in Jashpur district

As a young doctor committed to serving the needy, she used to visit slums in Lucknow with suggestions and advice to inhabitants on how to safeguard their health. Despite telling a woman repeatedly not to drink water from a contaminated source, and seeing the woman ignore her advice before her very eyes, the young doctor asked why? Irritated, the unlettered woman replied: “who are you to advice? The collector?”

 

The doctor was quiet, but resolved to answer the question. She cleared the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) examination in 2009, becoming an officer in the Chhattisgarh cadre. The doctor-turned-bureaucrat, Priyanka Shukla is now serving as district collector in Jashpur district. As a district collector, she is using her authority to enable young people, especially students, to dream big.

 

Jashpur district is tribal-dominated and students rarely look beyond the position of clerk when it comes to career choices. Shukla believes they can aim higher and has launched an initiative called “Sach Honge Sapne” (Your Dreams will Come True).

 

“The campaign was conceptualised with a view to motivating bright young girls to pursue their dream of becoming an IAS officer,” says Shukla. Under the initiative, on every third and fourth Monday of a month, a meritorious girl student gets to spend an entire day with the District Collector.

 

Seated right next to the District Collector, she is privy to all the meetings, decision-making, file movement, interactions and discussions with various departmental heads, common people, public representatives, etc. The girls also receive personalised guidance, career counselling and motivation from the District Collector.

 

“I get inspired by many of them…some of them work really hard,” she says. She tries to ensure that the student returns with renewed self confidence.

 

The program began on October 17, 2016 and continued till January 2017. It was then given a break because of  annual board exams. It resumed in July 2017 after the new academic session started.

 

The day for the programme has been selected with care. “I have chosen Monday because that is the day I get to preside over review meetings of many departments,” she says, adding that it makes the child understand the variety of responsibilities a collector has. Many people come with grievances. This problem solving is both an education and a challenge for the child.

 

Looking at the enthusiastic response to the first phase of “Sach Honge Sapne”, the district collector has now included boys in the programme. Meritorious schoolboys in the district who aspire to join the ranks of civil servants are spending a day with Zila Panchayat Chief Executive Officer, who happens to be an IAS officer and Superintendent of Police from Indian Police Service (IPS) cadre.

 

But why should only the students who have done well and are financially well off, get this kind of exposure? She has also taken the responsibility to ensure 30 students belonging to economically weaker sections of society, get the chance to good education. Most the 30 come from tribal families. This initiative is a project called “Dream 30” to provide quality and specialised education to students till Class X, launched past year.

 

“We realised it was important to give meritorious students an opportunity to build a strong base for themselves before entering high school,” she said. Under the scheme, 200 students applied and of them, 30 were selected for enrolment to a residential school for the best possible education.

 

The very first batch has achieved the desired results. Two students were among 10 toppers in class X Chhattisgarh board exams this year while four secured above 96 per cent.