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Time of India
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Pairing of schools is not permanent, says minister
Lucknow: Emphasizing that the state govt was absolutely flexible in its approach while implementing the pairing of primary govt schools, basic education minister Sandeep Singh said here on Thursday that 'no school has been permanently paired'. Addressing a press conference, he said that student interest was paramount, pointing out that complaints from certain districts regarding the initiative have been taken seriously, and necessary action taken, including restoring operations in certain schools where required. He also stated that the distance between paired schools will not exceed one kilometre and schools in geographically challenging areas have been excluded from the process. "If student numbers rise or seating becomes inadequate, classes will resume in the original buildings, with UDISE codes remaining unchanged," he added, accusing the opposition, especially the Samajwadi Party of politicising the issue. The minister stated that the merger aimed at enhancing the quality of education and won't cause inconvenience to students. He added that around 10,000 schools had been identified for pairing, and this process, along with the unpairing of schools where necessary, would be completed within the coming week. Singh said schools with fewer than 50 students were being considered for the merger. However, in case there are complaints of students facing problems in commuting to paired schools situated over a kilometre away from each other, then such instances will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and a decision would be taken. Addressing concerns over job security, Singh said that there would be no job cuts or shutting of schools. "All 132,886 govt-run primary schools in the state would continue to operate and retain their valid UDISE codes. All sanctioned posts will remain intact, including those of the headmaster. If needed, we will appoint new teachers to maintain the required pupil-teacher ratio," he stated. Singh further explained that the merger process would be completed within a week, adding that the buildings of schools vacated through mergers would be run as bal vatikas. "As per the national mandate, admission to Class 1 begins at the age of six. So, to cater to pre-primary needs, these bal vatikas will be operational by August 15," he said. He clarified that the state govt had never halted recruitment and remained committed to meeting educational standards. "We are following norms — one teacher per 30 students in pre-primary and one per 35 in upper primary schools. Every merged school will have three teachers, two assistant teachers, and one shiksha mitra to ensure seamless academic activities," Singh added. Criticising Samajwadi Party for politicising the issue, Singh said: "Before 2017, government schools lacked even basic infrastructure. Under Operation Kayakalp, we equipped 96% of schools with essentials like drinking water, toilets, and midday meals with an expenditure of over Rs 11,500 crore." Highlighting recent achievements, the minister stated, "in the academic session 2025–26 alone, we enrolled 27.53 lakh new students. "The government is fully committed to enhancing the future of children through quality education," Singh said, pointing out that the pairing model had already been adopted in other states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and was implementing it by carefully studying every aspect.
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
No merger of distant, well-enrolled schools: UP minister
In an apparent move to quell the ongoing opposition over school merger by political parties, teachers, students and parents, the Uttar Pradesh government has slightly softened its stand as basic education minister Sandeep Singh on Thursday clarified that government primary schools located more than one kilometre away from students' homes and those having 50 or more enrolled students will not be merged. UP basic education minister Sandeep Singh addressing a press conference in Lucknow on July 31. (Sourced) The move comes in the wake of concerns raised in some districts claiming that school mergers had forced children to travel long distances, making education less accessible. Corrective actions are now being taken on the basis of complaints received. In fact, it will be ensured that all those schools operate as before at the same places like they were functioning before school pairing was introduced. State basic education minister (independent charge) Sandeep Singh made this announcement at a press conference at Lok Bhavan. 'The complaints received from some districts have been taken seriously and where necessary, orders have been given to run the schools as before. The distance of any primary school to be paired will not be more than one kilometre,' he said. 'Pairing does not mean closure of any school nor any teaching or non- teaching post is being reduced or abolished,' the minister said. He further said the process of both pairing and unpairing of government primary and upper primary schools will be completed within a week and thereafter their number will be shared with the press. Singh said while pairing, full care has been taken to ensure that children's access to the school is simple, easy and safe. 'Schools whose geographical location, such as rivers, railway crossings or highways, could have hindered access, have not been included in this process. In case of any kind of discrepancy, immediate solution is being ensured,' he added. 'We have not permanently paired any school. If the number of students increases, arrangements will be made to run it again in the old building. UDISE code will remain the same. It is also our endeavour that no school should remain vacant till August 15. Pre-primary and Bal Vatika should be operated in all schools,' the minister said. Other states have also paired schools The minister said that Uttar Pradesh is not the only state which introduced pairing of schools. In 2014, Rajasthan paired about 20,000 schools, in 2018, Madhya Pradesh paired 26,000 and 16,000 schools in phased manner, in 2018-19, Odisha government also paired a number of schools, he added. Singh said: 'Pairing is a wonderful initiative towards connecting children with better learning environments and resources.' He said children do not get the real experience of education in schools with very low enrolment. Availability of teachers to be ensured Through pairing, availability of teachers for each class can be ensured. Teacher-student ratio will be better and teachers will get an opportunity to use the latest teaching techniques. Highlighting the benefits of pairing, he said schools with higher enrolment will get facilities like smart class, ICT lab, additional rooms, composite grant and sports material on priority basis. No post is being abolished The role of teachers and cooks will remain the same in this process. No post is being abolished. Rather, under this scheme, it is being ensured that where up to 50 students are enrolled, three teachers will be compulsorily deployed. In schools with more than 50 enrolments, teachers are being arranged as per the prescribed standards, the minister said. Previous govts flayed The minister said the previous government had brought the education system on a stretcher. 'But our government has made basic improvements in the field of education in the past years. So far, more than 1.26 lakh teachers have been appointed. Under Operation Kayakalp, 96% of council schools have been equipped with basic facilities. These reforms have also been accepted by the NITI Aayog as an exemplary model,' Singh said. 'Victory for PDA Pathshala' Reacting to the basic education minister Sandeep Singh's announcement, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said: 'Withdrawing the decision on school merger is a major victory for 'PDA Pathshala' movement. The right to education is inviolable and will remain so. This is a moral defeat for the education-opposing BJP.'
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
No teacher posts to be abolished in school merger plan, new appointments if needed: UP minister
Lucknow, Amid criticism from the opposition regarding the merger of government primary schools in Uttar Pradesh, Minister of State for Basic Education Sandeep Singh assured that teaching posts will not be eliminated and new appointments will be made as needed to maintain the student-teacher ratio. No teacher posts to be abolished in school merger plan, new appointments if needed: UP minister Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Singh explained that the merger aims to enhance the quality of education and will not inconvenience students. Approximately 10,000 schools were identified for merging, and this process, along with the unmerging of schools where necessary, will be completed within the coming week, he said. "Schools with fewer than 50 students are being considered for the merger. However, if students encounter difficulties in commuting, such as if the merged school is over one kilometre away or if geographical challenges arise, the merger will be reversed," Singh mentioned. He stressed that all 132,886 government-run primary schools in the state will continue to operate and will maintain valid UDISE codes. Addressing apprehensions about job losses, Singh stated, "There will be no abolition of teachers' posts. All sanctioned posts will remain intact, including those of the headmaster. If needed, we will appoint new teachers to maintain the required pupil-teacher ratio." Singh further noted that the merger process will be completed within a week and added that the buildings of the schools that are vacated through mergers will be repurposed as bal vatikas . "As per the national mandate, admission to Class 1 begins at the age of six. So, to cater to pre-primary needs, these bal vatikas will be operational by August 15," he said. Singh clarified that the state government never halted recruitment and remains committed to meeting educational standards. "We are following norms one teacher per 30 students in pre-primary and one per 35 in upper primary schools. Every merged school will have three teachers, two assistant teachers, and one shiksha mitra to ensure seamless academic activities," he said. He also took a swing at opposition parties, particularly the Samajwadi Party, accusing them of politicising the issue. "Before 2017, government schools lacked even basic infrastructure. Under Operation Kayakalp, with over ₹11,500 crore, we equipped 96 per cent of schools with essentials like drinking water, toilets, and midday meals. This has encouraged even Dalit families to send their children to government schools," he said. Highlighting recent progress, the minister said, "In the academic session 2025–26 alone, we enrolled 27.53 lakh new students. The government is fully committed to enhancing the future of children through quality education." Singh pointed out that the merger model has already been adopted in other states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh is following suit by carefully studying every aspect. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Stress on universal access to quality education
District Education Officers (DEOs) met at a review meeting, conducted by the Department of School Education, at the MCRHRD Institute on Wednesday. Apart from DEOs, regional and deputy directors and key officials in the department discussed and analysed performance, systemic gaps, and strategies to improve the quality of education in schools. Adviser to Government K. Keshava Rao stressed on universal access to quality schooling for every child, and urged school managements to be 'leaders with a heart'. Secretary (Education) Yogita Rana explained the government's commitment for inclusive learning and lauded its efforts for the recent rise in enrollment and infrastructure measures. She called for a sustained enthusiasm in the entire department to bridge the existing gaps. Director of School Education E. Naveen Nicolas encouraged the DEOs and reminded them about their crucial role in converting State-level policies into impactful local outcomes. In-depth reviews on enrolment growth by Samagra Shiksha; Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR), Aadhaar validation issues, and Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2024‑25 enhancements, and urgent needs in classrooms, science labs, and sanitation facilities, were also held. The meeting deliberated on the progress in Telangana's Performance Grading Index, student learning outcomes as per PRS‑2024, and improvements in Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, Assessment at Scale (AxL), and the Learning Improvement Program (LIP). Officials also discussed students' preparation for SSC exam, PM SHRI model school upgrades, optimising teacher deployment, and plans for establishing new schools in underserved zones, environmental education through Vanamahotsavam, mid‑day meal compliance with PM POSHAN, and timely disbursement of textbooks and uniforms.
Hans India
a day ago
- Hans India
Collector Issues Memo to KGBV Headmistress for Neglecting Nutritious Meal Standards in Gonupadu
Gadwal: District Collector issued strict warnings and directed the issuance of a memo to the headmistress of the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Gonupadu village, Gadwal Mandal, for failing to provide mid-day meals as per the prescribed nutritional menu. During a surprise inspection on Wednesday, the Collector reviewed various aspects of the school including classrooms, kitchen facilities, drinking water supply, mid-day meal quality, and overall hygiene of the premises. He personally interacted with the students and encouraged them to focus on their studies and aim for academic excellence from an early stage. He also verified the attendance register during his visit. The Collector emphasized the importance of student attendance and advised teachers to identify students lagging in subjects and implement corrective academic measures. Noting the non-compliance with the meal menu, he instructed officials to issue a memo to the school's headmistress for negligence. He stated that nutritious meals must be provided daily as per the approved menu to ensure the health and well-being of students. He insisted that only fresh vegetables and quality ingredients be used for cooking and that the kitchen area and utensils remain clean at all times. Collector Santosh underscored that students deserve quality education, hygienic and tasty food, and good health, and warned that negligence in any of these aspects would not be tolerated. He also directed the school to make daily use of the Facial Recognition System for real-time monitoring of student attendance and to update UDISE entries on time. Additionally, he stressed that the school surroundings must be kept clean and sanitary at all times. The inspection was attended by school staff, students, and local officials. The visit highlights the administration's commitment to improving the quality of education and student welfare in government-run institutions.
