July 19, Children were previously afraid of going to public schools in the state but in the last six years, 55 to 60 lakh students have been added to the same schools, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Wednesday.

Adityanath said the number of students studying in elementary schools in UP is more than 1.91 crore, which is more than “the entire population of many countries,” according to an official statement.

Addressing a programme here, Adityanath released a sum of Rs 1,200 per student studying in schools under the state government’s Basic Education department for the academic session 2023-24.

“An additional 55 to 60 lakh children have been registered in the same schools of the Basic Education Department in the last six years where students were afraid to go prior to 2017,” Adityanath was quoted as saying in the statement.

On the allowance for school students, the chief minister said, “This amount has been transferred to their parent’s bank accounts through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) for the purchase of their uniforms, sweater, school bag, shoes, and stationery as per their size and choices.”

Adityanath said teachers should hold discussions with parents so that students get the books, uniforms, etc, on time and the entire process should be monitored at the school level through the principal and teachers.

The chief minister said that the teachers must remain vigilant that the money sent for children are utilised properly.

“It is our responsibility to communicate with the parents of students who dropout of school midway. By engaging with them, these children can be encouraged to continue their education and make positive contributions.”

This will also help in ascertaining how many children are actually studying in the schools of the Basic Education Department, he added.

Citing a NITI Aayog report, Adityanath said education was the foremost among the necessary factors essential for achieving the goal of poverty-free Uttar Pradesh.

On recruitment of teachers, the CM said that in the last six years, 1.64 lakh teachers have been recruited in the state.

“Before 2017, there was a severe shortage of teachers, while in the past six years, 1.64 lakh teachers have been recruited in the basic and secondary education boards,” he said.

“Additionally, refresher courses should be conducted regularly for the teachers to keep them updated,” he added.

The chief minister said the process of creating an Education Commission’ within the state is also currently underway.

Expressing gratitude to the institutions that have contributed to the progress of the Basic Education Council’s Operation Kayakalp, he honoured six such institutions for providing funds for infrastructure improvement and facilities.

Source: PTI

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