LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that the soul of the country resides in Uttar Pradesh which has been the focal point of education and health since ancient times.
Launching the month-long ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’ for academic session 2023-24, and a campaign against communicable diseases on Saturday, Yogi said, “UP has long been the centre of India’s knowledge, science and spirituality, and the focal point of education and health since ancient times. Kashi and Prayagraj have attracted people in the field of higher education for long. Naimisharanya (in Sitapur) has been the land of scripting the Vedic knowledge of India.”
Targeting previous governments, the CM said, “However, at one point, UP was being identified for anarchy, hooliganism, riots, corruption, and disorder. But in the last six years, there have been notable achievements in every field.”
He said that enrolments in state-run schools had risen to 1.9 crore in 2022 from 1.3 core in 2017. “It is our responsibility to ensure that not a single child is deprived of education and no child falls prey to communicable diseases,” the CM said.
Exhorting parents to send their children to school to help UP attain 100% literacy, he said a fully literate population would be an asset for the state.
During the programme, the CM provided free textbooks to children of classes 1 to 8 and distributed report cards to students who have passed the Nipun Assessment Test (NAT). He also released the school readiness and teacher guide and launched Rani Laxmi Bai self-defence training programme as part of Mission Shakti.
Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his efforts to check dropout rate, particularly among girls, Yogi said: “Most girls drop out of schools either after grade 5 or 8. Realising this, the PM came up with the slogan of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’. Our School Chalo campaign is also an effort in this direction.”
He said before 2017, schools lacked basic amenities and students had no uniforms and shoes. “When we took over, we decided to provide two sets of uniforms, bags, books, shoes and socks to each child. Under Operation Kayakalp, around 1.3 lakh schools have been transformed. The curriculum has also undergone change. We have recruited around 1.6 lakh teachers in primary and secondary schools,” he said.
The CM asked teachers and head teachers to seek participation of public representatives to make School Chalo Abhiyan a success. “They must meet parents and convince them to send their kids to school every day. Door-to-door screening of each house should be done,” he said.
Suggesting schools to create a database of village panchayats including population and socio-economic conditions, Yogi said, “Schools should know the total number of kids in each family, and those attending schools.”
The CM said that UP Basic Education Council should prepare a portal and update the data of each village panchayat as recorded by schools. “It will be a case study for a teacher at local level. This database will help in identifying the number of out-of-school kids. Schools will know the reason for their absenteeism. Schools must also ensure Aadhaar authentication of kids,” Yogi said.
He asked the DMs to prepare a nodal officer who, along with the BSA, will ensure that the money is transferred to parents’ accounts through DBT to purchase uniforms, shoes, socks, sweaters and school bags.
“Every gram panchayat will have a playground. This will be on the land surrounding the school. There will also be an open gym. As long as the school runs, kids and the rest of the gram panchayat can use it,” the CM remarked.
Launching the month-long ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’ for academic session 2023-24, and a campaign against communicable diseases on Saturday, Yogi said, “UP has long been the centre of India’s knowledge, science and spirituality, and the focal point of education and health since ancient times. Kashi and Prayagraj have attracted people in the field of higher education for long. Naimisharanya (in Sitapur) has been the land of scripting the Vedic knowledge of India.”
Targeting previous governments, the CM said, “However, at one point, UP was being identified for anarchy, hooliganism, riots, corruption, and disorder. But in the last six years, there have been notable achievements in every field.”
He said that enrolments in state-run schools had risen to 1.9 crore in 2022 from 1.3 core in 2017. “It is our responsibility to ensure that not a single child is deprived of education and no child falls prey to communicable diseases,” the CM said.
Exhorting parents to send their children to school to help UP attain 100% literacy, he said a fully literate population would be an asset for the state.
During the programme, the CM provided free textbooks to children of classes 1 to 8 and distributed report cards to students who have passed the Nipun Assessment Test (NAT). He also released the school readiness and teacher guide and launched Rani Laxmi Bai self-defence training programme as part of Mission Shakti.
Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his efforts to check dropout rate, particularly among girls, Yogi said: “Most girls drop out of schools either after grade 5 or 8. Realising this, the PM came up with the slogan of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’. Our School Chalo campaign is also an effort in this direction.”
He said before 2017, schools lacked basic amenities and students had no uniforms and shoes. “When we took over, we decided to provide two sets of uniforms, bags, books, shoes and socks to each child. Under Operation Kayakalp, around 1.3 lakh schools have been transformed. The curriculum has also undergone change. We have recruited around 1.6 lakh teachers in primary and secondary schools,” he said.
The CM asked teachers and head teachers to seek participation of public representatives to make School Chalo Abhiyan a success. “They must meet parents and convince them to send their kids to school every day. Door-to-door screening of each house should be done,” he said.
Suggesting schools to create a database of village panchayats including population and socio-economic conditions, Yogi said, “Schools should know the total number of kids in each family, and those attending schools.”
The CM said that UP Basic Education Council should prepare a portal and update the data of each village panchayat as recorded by schools. “It will be a case study for a teacher at local level. This database will help in identifying the number of out-of-school kids. Schools will know the reason for their absenteeism. Schools must also ensure Aadhaar authentication of kids,” Yogi said.
He asked the DMs to prepare a nodal officer who, along with the BSA, will ensure that the money is transferred to parents’ accounts through DBT to purchase uniforms, shoes, socks, sweaters and school bags.
“Every gram panchayat will have a playground. This will be on the land surrounding the school. There will also be an open gym. As long as the school runs, kids and the rest of the gram panchayat can use it,” the CM remarked.
