Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the direct bank transfer (DBT) process of Rs 1200 per student to parents of 1.91 crore children for uniforms, sweaters, shoes, socks, schoolbags, and stationery items.
Addressing a gathering on the occasion in Lucknow, the Chief Minister said, “Before 2017, government schools were in a dilapidated condition with grass and vegetation covering the school buildings, while there was an absence of teachers and students and children had no motivation to go to school. In last 5 years, dedicated efforts were made to improve the condition and as a result, the number of students has significantly increased.”
The CM also mentioned that there were about 60-70 percent of female students and a large number of male students, who used to walk to their schools barefoot. However, today, when these children are provided with shoes and socks, uniforms and sweaters, they are filled with pride and have new energy for going to school.
The aim of the UP government is to develop state-run schools at par with the convent and private schools, Yogi said, “We implemented a new academic schedule for children, introduced innovative modules to make their learning easier, and as a result, the number of students has gone up which is also an encouraging factor for the Basic Education Department.”
Urging all the principals and teachers to dedicate themselves to the holistic development of children, the CM said that a teacher plays the most important role after a parent in the personality development of the child. Hence, it is our collective responsibility to shape the future of our children and address their needs with sensitivity.
“Our educational institutions have made us what we are today, so now it is our responsibility to make our educational institutions fit for our children,” he remarked.
Maintaining that usage of technology-based learning is the need of the hogi Adityanathour, Yogi said that technology must be efficiently utilised for improving the quality of education, and at the same time all our learning values, morals, and ethics should be kept intact.
The Chief Minister added that countries that attained freedom with and before India are today seen breaking down while India is celebrating its ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsava’, we must pledge to contribute towards making our country the most powerful nation.
“Our teachers and schools play a very important role towards the development of the nation, schools are the foundation unit for a strong and prosperous country and therefore, we must keep our schools as clean and pure as our religious places and must educate our children effectively,” he said.
Talking about the penetration of education to the grassroots, Yogi emphasised that every Gram Panchayat must be such that each and every child goes to school. Communication should be established with parents of children who are not coming to school and must be motivated to do the same.
The Chief Minister said that all schools must develop a schedule to conduct awareness sessions regarding the current events that are taking place nationally and internationally for a better understanding of children and for making them responsible citizens.
“No negative comments and negative feedback should be given to children. Teachers must take note of the weaknesses of the child and give constructive feedback and encourage a child to do better,” said the CM.
The CM also asked the teachers and principals to make children aware of the freedom fighters belonging to their respective regions to commemorate ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsava’. “Teachers and Shiksha Mitras must also ensure that the money provided today to the parents of the children is also utilised for the purpose it has been given and that children now attend schools religiously,” he added.
Speaking about the ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’ re-launched by the state government to increase enrollment of children in schools, after the Covid-19 pandemic, the most-affected sector was education. Therefore, “we made all efforts ranging from recruiting new teachers on a large scale to developing basic facilities in schools — furniture, washrooms, libraries, playgrounds — under Operation Kayakalp to win the trust of people in the government schools and encourage their children to attain education through these schools.” he added further.
