Ranchi, Sept. 3 -- Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday, while distributing appointment letters to 975 teachers and felicitating meritorious students, announced to make Netarhat Residential School a co-educational facility and opening three more schools on the same lines. "Now girls will also be enrolled in this school. Three more schools will be opened in the state on the lines of Netarhat Residential School," Soren said. He also shared the government's effort to bring government schools at par with standard private schools. "Netarhat Residential School is now affiliated to CBSE and students here are studying through English medium. The government's effort is that the children studying in government schools should not lag behind the students of private schools in any matter," he said. He further shared other initiatives to provide quality education in the state-run schools. "Today is an era of competition. But, due to some or the other deficiency or problem, government schools used to lag behind. But, our government is working to improve them. In this series, Chief Minister's Excellence Schools have been opened. Here children are being educated like private schools. Today there is a competition for enrollment in these schools. Children from many private schools are now coming to these schools, which is proof that government schools are no less than private schools," he said. CM Soren said his government was committed to giving Jharkhand a distinct identity in the field of education. "Our effort is to make the education system excellent overall, so that along with making the schools resource-rich, the students studying there can get better and modern education," he added. The CM also exhorted people to participate in a mass movement for the development of Jharkhand. "Jharkhand should move forward rapidly. For this every person of the state will have to fulfill his responsibility. No matter which field you are in, you can play your role in taking the state forward by making important contributions in your respective field. Only through collective effort will Jharkhand become a leading and strong state," he said. Soren further mentioned Guruji Credit Card Scheme besides other initiatives taken for the encouragement of students and ensuring proper education facility to financially weak meritorious students. "Our government is encouraging students through various means. All the toppers of Board exams are being given laptops and mobile phones along with honorarium, so that they can study further in an even better way. At the same time, students are being given 100 per cent scholarship for higher education abroad. Under the Guruji Credit Card Scheme, there is a provision to give education loans up to Rs.15 lakh without any guarantee to students for pursuing various courses. Apart, the amount of various scholarship schemes has been increased extensively. Many more new steps will be taken in this direction in the coming days," he said. In the ceremony, Soren gave symbolic gifts to some of the 33 newly appointed post graduate teachers (PGTs), 909 Sahayak Acharya (maths and science) and 33 laboratory assistants. Appointment letters were provided in the form of certificates. Toppers of 10th and 12th of JAC, CBSE and ICSE boards were given laptops and smartphones along with honorarium of Rs.3 lakh. Toppers of the JAC Board also got two-wheelers. Toppers of 10th and 12th of CM School of Excellence got laptops and certificates. Schools giving 100 per cent results in 10th Board were also honoured. Students successful in various competitive exams under Akanksha Coaching run by the government were honoured as well. Successful schools in the gold category were honoured under the School Certification Scheme. The CM also launched the Chief Minister Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar Yojana and Jharkhand e-Shiksha Mahotsav 2025. Those present on the occasion included finance minister Radhakrishna Kishore, labour and employment minister Sanjay Prasad Yadav, agriculture and animal husbandry minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey, Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji, additional chief secretary Avinash Kumar, school education and literacy department secretary Umashankar Singh and state education project director Shashi Ranjan....