Lucknow: Days after students from Jai Prakash Narayan Sarvodaya residential schools protested over teacher shortages and inadequate basic facilities, chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed the social welfare department to frame a clear policy for running the schools, fill vacant teaching posts and set up management committees.
Officials said the state currently has 103 Sarvodaya schools, up from 97 in 2017. Of these, 59 are affiliated to the UP Board and 44 to CBSE. Department sources said that against about 1,620 sanctioned posts, only 146 regular teachers are in place, while 916 teachers are working on contract and around 350 are engaged as guest faculty.
An official said the last major teacher recruitment took place in 2023 and that subsequent changes in recruitment policy have shifted the process to Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission. A new policy has been drafted and is expected to receive govt approval soon. The official added that the department does not consider the situation unmanageable, citing the continuation of guest teachers this academic year to meet immediate needs.
In the review meeting, the chief minister called for comprehensive changes to strengthen the functioning of the schools, which offer free education and residential facilities to students from SC, ST and OBC communities. He instructed that clear rules and regulations be prepared, the selection process for filling vacant teaching posts be expedited and steps be taken to form a society to ensure more systematic management and operations of the residential institutions.
Yogi sought detailed information from social welfare minister Asim Arun on the availability of teachers and essential staff. Following the recent student protests, the department conducted a survey across all Sarvodaya schools to assess staffing levels and on-ground conditions, including infrastructure, food availability and other facilities.
The chief minister also reviewed the status of old-age pension applications and asked that pending cases of eligible beneficiaries be cleared quickly. Officials informed him that under National Old Age Pension Scheme, beneficiaries increased from 37.47 lakh in 2017-18 to 67.50 lakh in 2025-26. At present, about 11.50 lakh new applications remain pending.
During a discussion on CM Abhyudaya Yojana, the state’s free coaching programme for competitive examinations, Yogi was told the scheme is being run through 163 centres across Uttar Pradesh, supported by 1,783 empanelled teachers. Officials said 23,801 students are registered for coaching for examinations including UPSC, PCS, NEET, JEE and NDA/CDS.
The chief minister further directed that students who missed applying for pre-matric and post-matric scholarships be given another opportunity. He also set an Oct 2, 2026 deadline for the issuance of scholarships. The department said around 3.16 lakh students were deprived of scholarships for various reasons, including 31,836 from govt institutions, 69,631 from aided institutions and 2,46,426 from private institutions.
