Barmer, June 27 -- In a move to ensure no child is left behind in education, village sarpanches across rural Rajasthan announced that they will actively support the education department by distributing study materials, uniforms, and welcoming new students to government schools, people aware of the matter said on Thursday. Stepping beyond conventional administrative roles, the local leaders will motivate parents to send their children to school and take the lead in encouraging school drop outs to return to school, Hindu Singh Tamlor, district president of Sarpanch Sangh in Barmer and the state spokesperson of the Sangh's Rajasthan unit said. He added, "It is not just the government's responsibility to educate our children-it is ours too. When a child drops out of school, the entire village fails. We want to change that mindset and make education a shared mission." Tamlor said, "Keeping this in mind, we have planned to support the education department this time. We will distribute study materials and uniforms to needy students. Besides, we will also ensure the readmission of drop out students. For this, a drive is underway to identify such students." Bhagwan Barupal, additional district education officer in Barmer welcomed the move and called it a much-needed step toward improving education in rural areas. "It is a welcome initiative that village heads are joining hands with such an important drive. Their involvement brings not only administrative support but also social credibility to the campaign...This kind of grassroots leadership can bring about long-term transformation." Barupal added that this year, the education department is also planning some unique welcome activities during the Praveshotsav programme, including cutting cakes, distributing laddoos, applying tilak on students' foreheads, and offering sweets. "The first day of school will be celebrated like a festival," he said. The village heads will also participate in the education department's 'Praveshotsav programme'. Vijay Sharma, a social activist, said, "This initiative shows that rural communities are starting to see education not just as the government's job, but as something everyone should care about. With sarpanches taking the lead, Rajasthan is seeing a quiet but strong change at the village level-one that can make a big difference for the future."...