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Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
School pairing will benefit students: Govt
Lucknow: The state govt on Friday said that by pairing small, under-resourced schools with nearby institutions, it aims to provide students access to smart classes, ICT labs, sports, and peer learning. Pairing, officials said, will help improve the teacher-student ratio and upgrade infrastructure under all 19 Operation Kayakalp parameters — toilets, drinking water, furniture, digital education, Bal Vatika — and promote holistic development. They added that the model, however, remains flexible, with provisions to reopen original schools if enrolment grows. The govt initiated the pairing of schools to optimise teachers, resources, and infrastructure. For instance, UP has over 6,000 single-teacher schools, affecting the quality of teaching and student learning. Based on three key criteria — low enrolment, proximity, and lack of teachers or ramshackle buildings — the pairing will not take away jobs of teachers or cook-cum-helpers deployed in the state-run schools, said a govt spokesperson. The govt further said the initiative is in sync with the NEP, which recommends better-equipped institutions to enhance learning outcomes.
Time of India
a day ago
- 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
2 days ago
- 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.
