The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, on Wednesday initiated the second phase of the statewide ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’ and appealed to the parents to enrol their children in schools. During his address, he highlighted the importance of education, calling it the strong foundation of an individual, society, and the nation.
The Chief Minister said that “Quality education shapes responsible and cultured citizens and shows them the right path. It also produces capable social workers, teachers, principals, public representatives, officers, entrepreneurs, engineers, doctors, and judicial officers,” as per PTI reports.
He said that if the coming generation of the country receives quality education, they will be able to effectively contribute to nation-building with confidence, regardless of the field they opt for. In addition to this, he also recalled that in 2017, under the guidance and inspiration of Prime Minister Narender Modi, the UP government launched the “School Chalo Abhiyan.”
The CM further explained the intentions of the government for the second phase of the abhiyaan as he said, “Our intentions were clear, and the results were encouraging. The government’s policy for improving education was well-defined, and we were committed to ensuring that every child benefited from government schemes without any discrimination.” He also informed about the status in 2027, that only 36 per cent of schools under the Basic Education Council met the required standards, while many schools lacked basic facilities and proper mid-day meal arrangements.
Addressing the shortcomings, the government launched Operation Kayakalp, urging the public representatives, entrepreneurs and officials to help in upgrading the Basic Education Council schools and achieve full saturation on fixed parameters.
Assuring the public, the CM said that the government resolved to provide separate toilets for boys and girls in every school, safe drinking water, fixed daily mid-day meals, digital libraries, smart classrooms, and free uniforms, school bags and textbooks for every student. Along with this, he also mentioned that efforts were made to improve the student-teacher ratio through a dedicated campaign.
The CM said that this has resulted in an increase in the saturation level of Basic Education Council schools from 36 per cent to over 96 per cent within the period of five years. Every child received school bags, books, shoes, socks, sweaters, and uniforms, which led to an increase in the number of enrolments in schools. He added that over the past nine years, enrollment in Basic Education Council Schools had increased by more than six million students, and at the same time, the dropout rate of the students has declined from 19-20 per cent to only 3-4 per cent.
Emphasising the importance of having a healthy society, he said that it is essential that no child is left out of school. “If even one child is deprived of education, it is not just a loss for the family but also for society and the nation. These children will become future leaders in different fields. If a child remains uneducated, it will cause an irreparable loss to society and the nation and may lead them astray. We must build a generation that can fulfil its responsibilities as committed citizens of the nation,” he was quoted by PTI.
State Government Aims 100 Per Cent Enrollment
The Uttar Pradesh government aims are to ensure 100 per cent enrollment in schools in the new academic session through the campaign. The officials said that as part of the government’s strategy to promote education and development together, the campaign will focus on bringing the out-of-school children into the mainstream education system. They also added that after the launch of the second phase of the campaign from the CM Model Composite School at Ismailpur village in Saharanpur, textbooks, school bags and stationery items to children have been distributed for the new academic year.
At the launch event, the district’s best-performing headmasters were also honoured. In the second phase of the campaign, importance has been given to identifying out-of-school children and enrolling them in schools, bringing back the dropout children, creating awareness among parents and ensuring active participation of public representatives, school management committees and the local communities. The campaign aims to connect every eligible child with school and provide access to quality education, the officials said.
(With Inputs from PTI)