CHANDIGARH, April 17 -- Look back before moving ahead! That's the new mantra Haryana school education department has rolled out under the "Kaksha Tatparta Karyakram"(class readiness programme), an innovative initiative under which government primary school teachers will press pause on teaching fresh chapters till May 30. Instead of starting learning from new textbooks, every student will revisit a previous class syllabus during a 45-day window that began on April 15. According to principal secretary (school education) Vijay Singh Dahiya, the key area of focus will be struggling students, who will be given targeted support in foundational skills. "This programme is a key initiative under the NIPUN Haryana mission. It aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's focus on addressing learning gaps early in the academic year," he said. Using specially designed study modules already circulated in schools (Balvatika 3 to grade 5 students), the education department has given the task to teachers to bridge learning gaps, ensuring that every student improves foundational competencies over previous class syllabus before the curriculum of the new class is started. This programme, formally kicked-off on April 15, will cover more than 8 lakh students and it will be implemented through nearly 31,000 teachers. While district and block-level officials have been directed to oversee implementation and conduct regular reviews, teachers will have to update parents about the progress of the student via digital modes and parent teacher meetings. The education department has given teachers meticulously prepared lesson plans, video tutorials, methodologies and activity ideas for effective teaching. The study modules of each class run into 60 pages and consist of play-based and experiential learning methods, including language games, puzzles and role-playing activities. The study materials were released on Tuesday during a video conference attended by district education officers, district elementary education officers, district project coordinators and block education officers from across the state. "We have prepared a structured study module to ensure that every student masters competencies from the previous grade before moving on to the new curriculum," Dahiya said, adding that the objective of the initiative is to prepare students academically for their new classes while addressing learning gaps. The 45-day programme lays out a day-wise academic plan spread across 60 pages covering mathematics, English and Hindi learning activities with emphasis on strengthening conceptual understanding through structured classroom engagement. As the classroom readiness programme (CRP) has been designed to help students settle into the new class by revisiting what they were expected to know before moving ahead, the students will focus on fractions already learnt, poems once read aloud and measurements solved in previous year. The officials said that the mathematics component follows a carefully prepared revision schedule and directs teachers to begin with foundational numerical concepts and gradually move towards more applied areas such as money calculations, fractions, multiplication, division etc. Teachers have been asked to revisit previously taught topics using classroom exercises and practice activities linked to specific textbook references. Haryana's state programme officer of NIPUN, Pramod Kumar, said that digital learning videos have also been included in the resource material to support classroom explanation of concepts. "Our objective is to ensure that students gain the required competencies of the previous grade before progressing further," Kumar said, explaining that each section of this 45 days programme places equal emphasis on every subject. Teachers have been instructed to conduct daily oral language activities, reading practice and writing exercises aimed at improving expression and comprehension. The module encourages students to read books, exchange reading experiences with classmates and take part in role-based classroom activities. The vocabulary development, grammar and sentence-formation exercises form part of the daily routine suggested in the module. The resource material also proposes experiential activities, including exposure visits to nearby workplaces or community settings, enabling students to observe and later describe their experiences through spoken and written exercises. Designed as a practical classroom guide, the CRP module provides teachers references to textbook chapters, learning outcomes and suggested teaching activities for each day of the programme. The teachers resource sheet focuses on collaborative learning, peer interaction and activity-based teaching methods. Dahiya said improving foundational literacy and numeracy remains a key priority under the NEP 2020 with the NIPUN Bharat Mission playing a crucial role in ensuring grade-level proficiency in early classes. He said Haryana ranks third in the country under NIPUN, attributing the progress to sustained reforms and focused implementation of education policies at the ground level. "I want teachers to focus on every child individually and ensure that no student is left behind... technology cannot replace the central role of teachers in education," Dahiya said....