Varanasi: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that education is society’s greatest strength and the state govt is ensuring that no child is deprived of education.Launching the ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’ from Composite Vidyalaya at Shivpur in Varanasi on Saturday, the CM appealed to the people to make imparting of education a mass movement.Earlier, Yogi performed ‘darshan’ and ‘puja’ at Kaal Bhairav and Kashi Vishwanath temples.Extending best wishes to the education department for the launch of the drive, the CM said that when the campaign was launched on July 1 after the formation of the govt in 2017, he got the opportunity to visit various schools in several districts.Yogi said he found that school buildings were in dilapidated condition and schools were on the verge of closure.“Teachers of basic and secondary education departments have played a commendable role. They have taken ‘Operation Kayakalp’ to new heights,” he said. “The NITI Aayog of the Govt of India has also included this campaign of Uttar Pradesh among the country’s success stories — how basic facilities were provided in more than 1.26 lakh schools. Through ‘Operation Nipun’, curiosity towards education has increased among children,” he remarked.“Education is not merely a means to acquire knowledge, but it is the foundation for the holistic development of individuals and society. If any child is out of school, it is not just the responsibility of that family, but of the entire society and the govt to connect that child with education,” Yogi observed.Discussing the state of education before 2017, Yogi said that neither education nor concern for ordinary children was on the agenda of the previous govts, and they used to facilitate cheating.“For them, it was necessary that teaching and learning should not take place in schools so that cheating could be facilitated, regardless of the adverse impact on children’s future. A makeshift system cannot uplift society,” he said.“To ensure economic equality and social justice, we must educate everyone. Dropout rate has come down from 19% to 3% and teachers should bring it down to zero. More than Rs 80,000 crore is being spent on basic education. Budgetary provisions have been made for Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas in new areas,” he said.He said that upon enrolment in schools, children were being provided free uniforms, textbooks and other materials in two phases — on April 15 and July 15.“For this, money is being directly transferred to the bank accounts of children. At least 25 lakh girls in the state are benefiting from money being provided through Sumangala Yojana. To spread education to every household, from April 1 to 15, teachers should knock on every door and ensure no child is deprived of education,” Yogi said.Highlighting the facilities for children in schools, the CM said that every school had separate toilets for boys and girls and adequate drinking water facilities were available for them.The CM served mid-day meals to children, released a booklet on educational innovations and achievements, and distributed textbooks and Nipun certificates among children.Basic education minister Sandeep Singh said that the School Chalo Abhiyan was not merely a campaign but one that shapes the future of children.“In the past nine years, the picture of council schools has been transformed, and 97% achievement has been attained across 19 parameters. This has increased the trust of children as well as their parents in council schools,” he said.Labour minister Anil Rajbhar pointed out that Atal Residential Schools had brought about a massive change in the lives of children of labourers.“Recently, 38 children from Atal Residential Schools were taken to ISRO. The children stayed in five-star hotels. The School Chalo Abhiyan will be relevant only when every individual is concerned about it,” he said.Stamp minister Ravindra Jaiswal said that before 2017, schools served as grazing grounds but the Yogi govt ensured massive improvement in basic education system.MSME minister Rakesh Sachan, Varanasi mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari, former minister and MLA Neelkanth Tiwari, and senior officials were present.He also visited ‘Eco Club for Mission Life’ stall and asked about the content related to environment being taught to children.
