Lucknow: Quality basic education will play a crucial role in accelerating Uttar Pradesh’s progress towards its target of becoming a $1 trillion economy, Basic Education Minister of State (Independent Charge) Sandeep Singh said during a high-level review meeting of the department’s programmes and initiatives.
The meeting was attended by Director General School Education Monika Rani, senior officials of the Basic and Secondary Education departments and representatives of Deloitte.
Singh stressed the need for the recruitment of new teachers, expansion of basic infrastructure in schools and continuous improvement in the quality of primary education. He said collective efforts and sustained work by all departments and personnel would be essential to accelerate development and support the state’s broader economic objectives.
The meeting reviewed efforts to strengthen basic and digital education infrastructure. It was informed that smart classrooms had been established in 25,790 primary and upper-primary schools. The minister emphasised that these facilities should not remain limited to infrastructure creation and that their effective daily use in teaching and learning should be ensured.
Equal emphasis was placed on students’ holistic and human development alongside the use of digital technology. The department is promoting a reading culture by making newspapers and books part of the school environment, organising weekly reading sessions and introducing initiatives such as ‘Reader of the Week’ and ‘Top 5 Student Readers’.
The meeting also discussed expanding sports, self-defence, art and craft activities and engaging professional coaches. Structured opportunities are being planned to help talented students, particularly girls from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, participate in district-, state- and national-level competitions.
An alumni mentorship model is also being developed to connect former students with schools. Successful alumni working as civil servants, doctors, entrepreneurs and professionals in other fields would guide students and provide career-related insights.
For the 2026-27 academic session, comprehensive progress cards have been implemented to monitor students’ cognitive, socio-emotional and physical development. A proposal is also under consideration to link these cards with APAR ID and the Prerna Portal. To promote foundational learning, ‘NIPUN Samman Samaroh’ events have been organised across all 75 districts of the state.
The role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in school development was also reviewed. Following the participation of more than 30 corporate organisations and receipt of 10 Letters of Intent (LOIs) at the CSR Conclave held in Noida on May 21, 2026, Deloitte and concerned officials were directed to finalise the MoU process.
These partnerships are expected to support sports activities, infrastructure development and targeted CSR programmes in schools. Data protection provisions will be incorporated into all such partnerships.
The department is also developing financial literacy training with the support of Union Bank, while teacher training modules on climate change and cyber security are being developed in collaboration with Edunet Foundation and IBM.
