Opinion | Policy and infrastructure are turning NEP into tangible classroom gains in Uttar Pradesh

The first and most notable proof of clarity in policies is that the dropout rate at the primary level in the state, which was once at a worrying level of 17 to 18 per cent, has now dropped to just 3 per cent.

By Sunny Singh

The actual progress of any welfare-orientated society or state is measured by the strength of its primary education system. For a long time in a vast state like Uttar Pradesh, the discourse on basic education remained limited to repairing school buildings, counting rooms and registering numbers on paper. In recent years, this approach has given way to a sharper focus on actual learning outcomes. Now, the government’s primary focus is not on how many children’s names are entered in a register but on what those children are actually learning inside the classroom and through what methods. Uttar Pradesh’s roadmap for the 2026-27 academic session shows a clear shift toward connecting Anganwadi centres with modern technical education. The first and most notable proof of clarity in policies is that the dropout rate at the primary level in the state, which was once at a worrying level of 17 to 18 per cent, has now dropped to just 3 per cent.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 strongly advocates that the most rapid development of the human brain happens in the early years of childhood. To put this principle into practice on the ground, the pre-primary arrangement, the system right before primary education, is being given an institutional shape. For children aged three to six, arrangements have been made to learn through play in Anganwadi centres and Balvatikas. For this, specially designed teaching tools like ‘Chahal’, ‘Kadam’, ‘Kalankur’, ‘Big Books’, and ‘Balvatika Pustika’ are being distributed. To make the availability of these books completely transparent, the government is using a book distribution app. As a result of these grassroots improvements, in the recent survey under the Nipun Bharat Mission, 32,480 primary schools in the state have earned the Nipun status. This means that a minimum of 80 percent of children in classes one and two in these schools have grasped the necessary command over mathematics and language according to their age.

Modern technology has also succeeded in changing the old and neglected image that society held regarding government schools. Through the Bharat Innovates 2026 campaign, children in regular council schools and Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas are being introduced to modern science, coding, and research tendencies. Hesitation among children from rural backgrounds is reducing through events such as seminars, quiz competitions and essay contests. Talking about numbers, smart class facilities have started operating in 31,878 schools across the state. In addition, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) labs have been established in 14,988 schools, while 1,129 schools have been directly connected to digital libraries. To run this entire technical setup smoothly, more than 2.61 lakh tablets have been distributed among teachers. Along with these efforts, the Uttar Pradesh government is considering including its ambitious ‘ODOP’ (One District One Product) scheme as part of the district-wise school curriculum. Practical knowledge of the specific traditional product of the respective district will develop skills in children from childhood. This will transfer traditional skills to future generations and create new employment opportunities at the local level.

To reduce children’s growing attraction to smartphones and rebuild their engagement with books, schools are introducing practical experiments. Reading newspapers and presenting them during morning prayer assemblies has been made part of the daily routine. In the same sequence, the DEAR campaign (Drop Everything and Read) is running, where at a set time, all students and teachers in the school read books of their choice. To encourage healthy competition among children, the Super-20 reading challenge at the primary level and the Super-30 reading challenge at the upper primary level have been launched, under which the student who reads the most books will be recognised as the Champion Reader of the Year.

Educational reform remains incomplete without teacher skill development. With this objective, the first phase of the NISHTHA online training programme is being conducted through the DIKSHA portal. It has been divided into three separate categories so that training can be given according to the needs of the teachers. The first category is for teachers of pre-primary up to class two, which focuses on the psychological care of young children. The second category emphasises simplifying basic language and mathematical knowledge for classes three to five. The third category is for secondary-level teachers, covering subjects like cyber hygiene, e-waste management, and environmental conservation. Along with this, to provide support to the grassroots personnel of the education system, the honoursarium of Shiksha Mitras has been increased from 10,000 rupees to 18,000 rupees, and part-time instructors from 9,000 rupees to 17,000 rupees.

Along with educational reforms, human and social aspects are also being strengthened. It is an established fact that an empty stomach cannot absorb knowledge; understanding this, under the PM POSHAN Shakti Nirman scheme, fresh and nutritious food is being served daily to more than 1.46 crore students across nearly 1.42 lakh schools in the state. The 3.63 lakh cooks managing this massive system receive financial incentives and benefits from health security schemes. Sitting together in the school courtyard to share meals is improving children’s health while also grounding the new generation in the values of social harmony.

To sustain all these ambitious changes on the ground, a massive amount of 77,622 crore rupees has been allocated in the budget for basic education. Through Operation Kayakalp, launched with the objective of fixing basic infrastructure, 19 mandatory facilities like electricity, water, and toilets have been fully upgraded in 1.32 lakh schools. Moving toward increasing enrolment, 15.64 lakh new children were admitted to council schools during the 2025-26 period, and under the upcoming school enrolment campaign, a target has been set to bring a large number of children into schools.

The Right to Education is proving to be a boon for economically weaker families, with 1.05 lakh children getting free admission in private schools under the Right to Education Act in the recent period. To promote the education of daughters, all 746 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas are being upgraded up to the twelfth class so they can receive free residential education. Furthermore, through Direct Benefit Transfer, financial assistance at the rate of 1,200 rupees per student for uniforms, shoes, bags, and sweaters is being sent directly into the bank accounts of more than 1.30 crore students every year, and free books are being provided to all children from class one to eight.

These ongoing efforts signal that policymakers in Uttar Pradesh no longer view education as limited to government offices or school walls. By combining early childhood education, the revival of a reading culture, digital training for teachers, nutritional security and structural reforms, the state is building a comprehensive framework expected to yield long-term results. In the future, this policy will serve as a better, emulable model for other states.

(The writer is a research scholar in the Department of Political Science at the University of Delhi and works as a research associate at the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation (SPMRF) in New Delhi. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Zee News.)

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