Uttar Pradesh Pushes For Early Schooling, Banks On Grassroots Workers

Being rolled out under its School Chalo Abhiyan, the plan is to make grassroots workers counsel pregnant women and young mothers to start sending their children to school from the age of three. 

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) volunteers, Anganwadi workers, and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) will be roped in along with teachers to inculcate the school-going habit among children from an early age, as well as check the dropout rate. 

The plan also hopes to close the gender gap in education.

We are focusing on the village level, where ASHA workers and ANMs are part of the daily life of pregnant women and young mothers. They talk, share, and understand each other well while enjoying a certain amount of faith and respect. We want to convince them through these people.

– Parth Sarthi Sen Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary (Basic and Secondary Education)

“An ASHA worker and a pregnant woman get to know each other well during the motherhood journey. So, she can talk to her about putting the child in playschool,” he said.  

Sen Sharma said, “The difficult part is to maintain regularity. Therefore, we are trying to inculcate the habit of early schooling by using the influence of ASHA and other field workers.  When children are reluctant to attend school, the mother, in most cases, is not pushing them aggressively to do so. So, we have built a chain of field workers and teachers to break this pattern.”

Tackling Dropouts 

The state has 2,14,788 schools with 2.49 crore students. This combines 1,32,844 schools that are fully funded by the government, while 2,879 are government-aided schools. But clearly, this is not enough.

Out of 11.7 lakh children who are out of school in India, over 7.8 lakh are in Uttar Pradesh alone, as per figures given out by Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary in the Lok Sabha in 2024.

To push for a zero-dropout rate, the state is ramping up its education infrastructure, expanding senior secondary level residential schools for girls under Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, and opening Bal Vatika playschools to prepare children for mainstream schools.

On April 4, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in Varanasi that the dropout rate in Uttar Pradesh has gone down from 19 per cent before 2017 to 3 per cent now. “The state is committed to bringing this to zero. I request all of you - teachers, parents, public representatives, and all sections of society - to ensure that no child is deprived of education.” 

Uttar Pradesh spends approximately Rs. 80,000 crore on school education infrastructure. The School Chalo Abhiyan has been running for five years, aiming to ensure that no student stays away from school. The government is also focusing on digital tools and encouraging teachers to enrol their children in government schools. 

Identifying Pain Points

According to the last Census conducted in 2011, the state’s literacy rate was 67.6 per cent. Officials, however, say by 2023-24, the figure had increased to 78 per cent. 

Sen Sharma said, “The usual dropout point is when children move from primary to secondary level in Class 6. And the second breaking point is Class 10. Most students of Class 10 are distracted and choose to drop out.” 

“We have to ensure that these weak junctures are monitored. Therefore, the teacher in charge of Class 5 will remain in contact with the child for a reasonable period when he or she continues to Class 6. Similarly, for teachers of Class 8, when their students move to Class 9.”

He said that if students share their reasons for wanting to discontinue school after Class 6, it can be addressed by the counsellors and teachers.  

The state is also trying to get children to start attending Bal Vatikas, which are government-run playschools, before mainstreaming them to the primary level. 

ASHA workers and ANMs will explain the value of education to parents and counsel them not to remove their children from school. Counselling will also help in case a child appears distracted.

Like Teacher, Like Student

Professor Rakesh Chandra, an educationist and a child rights expert, explained why students drop out. “During the potato harvest season, children are forced to go to the field instead of school. The reasons are primarily economic.”

But other factors, too, are at work. “It is also about the joy of going to school… where a child feels happy. The environment matters for children.”

“Also, teachers have to be seen with respect. The chairs and tables for teachers, the staff room, and the basic arrangements should be there. This is a design for the young mind. Children do as they see. Children should believe that if they study hard, they too can become a teacher and live this life,” Chandra said. 

“Sometimes teachers are hard-pressed, and they need to go on election duty or for door- to-door surveys. If a child sees a teacher being absent for three days, then on the fourth day, he or she too won’t bother to come. There are also cases of good teachers moving on for better benefits. At the village level, all this matters and contributes to the overall dropout rate,” he said.

Professor Chandra, who was a consultant for UNICEF on primary education in Uttar Pradesh, said, “The government is doing a good job, but there are certain measures that would add to the campaign. There should be a partnership programme involving teachers to persuade them to spend time in village schools. This will help them to understand the situational difficulties of students.”    

Closing Gender Gap

According to education officials, in 2023-24, the female literacy rate in Uttar Pradesh stood at 70 per cent, far behind the 86 per cent figure for males. 

Educationists point out that many girls drop out after attaining puberty. They avoid going to school during menstruation, and this becomes a habit. Lack of safety has been cited as another common reason. But Chandra says many girls are still keen to study.

“During my field visits, we spent time trying to understand why there was reluctance among girl children to attend school, but they were also keen to study. Residential schools for girls would be a good way to address the issue. Girls should not skip classes due to menstrual reasons,” he said.  

Data show low sanitary pad usage (under 50%) among young women in the state. The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to spend ₹300 crore for sanitary napkins in every government-run or -aided school in FY 2026-27. 

School Chalo Abhiyan

Sen Sharma, a key figure behind the School Chalo Abhiyan, said special initiatives were being taken to ensure that girl students continue till the senior secondary level.

“The government is building about 140 residential schools for girls, in addition to the 150 that are already functional. Such schools for girls work well. Otherwise, in most cases, girls join the mother as a supporting hand at home, and her workplace as domestic help,” Sen Sharma said.   

The government is also focusing on menstrual hygiene. “We understand that girls hesitate to attend school when they attain puberty. We want to promote safe hygiene practices that will help us to reduce the dropout rate among girls,” Sen Sharma said. 

“The state government is installing sanitary pad vending machines and incinerators in government-run high schools and intermediate colleges for girls. Initially, we have highlighted 23 schools, and the Prayagraj district will be included in this initiative,” he said.

(The writer is a freelance journalist with over two decades of work experience. Views expressed are personal.)