In Uttar Pradesh, the new vision for basic education goes far beyond just enrolling children in schools. The focus is to make sure that every child who is enrolled receives a nurturing environment, essential infrastructure, and high-quality education. A child's learning must not get hindered by financial constraints. The focus is also on teachers, who are continuously equipped with modern teaching methodologies and new-age technologies to meet evolving needs. This is the holistic approach which drives Uttar Pradesh’s comprehensive initiatives across multiple fronts, including infrastructure transformation and student enrolment drives to teacher training, digital learning, and direct financial assistance for students.
Transforming Schools
Under Uttar Pradesh’s Operation Kayakalp, around 1.36 lakh government schools across the state have gone through a complete transformation. From just 36 per cent back in 2017–18, the share of schools equipped with basic infrastructure has jumped significantly to an impressive 96.30 per cent today. Classrooms have become ‘smart’ with features like ICT labs, well-stocked libraries, and upgraded teaching tools. These features are truly reshaping how children in Uttar Pradesh learn every day.
With this momentum, the state government is currently developing 150 Chief Minister Model Composite Schools alongside 75 Abhyudaya Composite Schools. PM Shri Schools and Smart Schools are also playing a key role in driving this change, with 1,722 PM Shri Schools presently being set up. The primary aim of these efforts is to transform government schools into study places with a modern, vibrant environment where students get access to top-notch education and modern facilities.
The second major pillar of this drive is to guarantee that every single child in Uttar Pradesh has access to schooling forms. During the 2025–26 academic year, special enrolment drives helped bring 15.84 lakh children into the fold. Not just that, the state government identified around 7.73 lakh out-of-school children, and over 5 lakh of them were successfully integrated back into mainstream education. This was possible due to targeted catch-up training. Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 1.85 lakh children have got free admissions in private schools.
The scale of this transformation in Uttar Pradesh’s basic education is truly remarkable: from enrolling 15.84 lakh new students and upgrading 1.36 lakh schools to delivering DBT support to 1.29 crore children and training over 4.33 lakh teachers in FLN, Uttar Pradesh is delivering what it promised.
Direct Financial Aid For Students
Direct assistance has been extended to 1.29 crore students via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to ensure a family's financial situation never hinders a child's education. Under this drive, each student gets Rs 1,200 financial assistance to cover essential supplies like uniforms, shoes, socks, sweaters, school bags, and stationery. Additionally, all students from Classes 1 through 8 are provided with free textbooks and workbooks.
Not just studies, students also need proper nutrition for their holistic development. The PM Poshan Scheme is benefitting over 1.52 crore students currently. Quality education, nutrition, and direct financial aid are being seamlessly tied together with a goal of boosting regular attendance and keeping students consistently engaged in schools.
Empowered Teachers, Improved Education
The quality of education is directly dependent on well-trained and capable teachers. With this thought process, over 4.33 lakh teachers have received training in Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) during the 2025-26 academic year. To empower teachers in driving digital learning initiatives, 2.61 lakh teachers have been given tablets, while 1.32 lakh schools have been upgraded with dedicated libraries. The fruits of this labour came as strong outcomes in PARAKH 2024, which highlight a clear improvement in student learning levels due to these targeted measures.
To safeguard the interests of Uttar Pradesh’s teaching community, significant efforts have been made. The monthly honourarium for 1.68 lakh Shikshamitras and part-time instructors has been raised. Moreover, a comprehensive cashless healthcare scheme now covers 12 lakh school teachers and non-teaching staff and more than 1.28 lakh faculty members in higher education. Under this benefit, every covered family of teachers is eligible for cashless medical care valued at up to Rs 5 lakh.
Inclusive Education For All
Core priority of Uttar Pradesh’s transformation is to ensure that education remains truly inclusive, with special focus on girls and children with special needs. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, 746 of them, have been upgraded to Class 12 across the state. They currently provide residential education alongside smart classes, digital learning, and self-defence training to 87,647 female students.
To help make Uttar Pradesh’s education system modern, fair, and accessible for everyone, the state has undertaken initiatives such as special support for children with disabilities, 27 DIET Centres of Excellence, and digital portals like Shodh Sangam and Udaan.
