Nishant Saxena
In a significant move aimed at empowering girls and enhancing their access to education, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced the upgrade of all 746 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) in the state. This decision will enable girl students to continue their studies beyond class 8 within the same school. The upgrade will be implemented in a phased manner, with the first phase involving the upgrade of 150 KGBVs starting from the 2023-24 academic session.
Addressing the development, Vijay Kiran Anand, Director General of School Education in Uttar Pradesh, stated, “We are in the process of upgrading these schools. Initially, 150 KGBVs will be upgraded in this session. Schools with adequate space are being prioritized for the upgrade, and efforts are underway to acquire land and construct new buildings as needed.”
The decision to upgrade the KGBVs comes in response to the growing demand from girl students who face difficulties in continuing their education beyond class 8 after completing their studies in these schools. The government’s objective is to ensure that girls, particularly those from marginalized communities such as Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), minority groups, and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, have the opportunity to pursue education up to class 12.
The KGBVs currently provide free residential schooling facilities from class 6 to class 8. By extending their services to class 12, the government aims to boost educational opportunities for girls across the state.
The KGBV scheme, originally launched by the Government of India, was designed to address the specific needs of marginalized girls and improve their access to education. Initially operating as a separate initiative, the scheme was later merged with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) program on April 1, 2007.
In another development, all-male staff members in KGBVs will soon be replaced by an all-female staff. The contracts of existing male personnel working in these residential girls’ schools across the 75 districts of the state will not be renewed. The decision to transition to an all-female staff has been taken to ensure the safety and well-being of the female students enrolled in these residential schools.
Vijay Kiran Anand, Director General of School Education, has issued a directive to all district magistrates instructing them not to renew the services of teaching and non-teaching male staff members in these schools. This step highlights the government’s commitment to creating a secure learning environment for the girls attending these residential institutions.