2,000 Atal schools to be set up in phased expansion: CM Yogi Adityanath

According to the CM, the third phase will see the expansion of schools to all 350 tehsils of the state. “In the fourth phase, such schools will be set up in 825 development blocks, and by the fifth phase, the plan will extend to the Nyay panchayat level with the setting up of 2,000 schools across the state,” the CM said.
The residential schools are named after former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

“(Former Prime Minister) Atalji often said that no force in the world could prevent a society that successfully combats illiteracy and deprivation from becoming secure and prosperous. He considered illiteracy and scarcity as society’s greatest enemies. Atal Residential Schools should set a benchmark for quality education. Every child, irrespective of caste, appearance, region, or language, should have equal access to the country’s resources without discrimination. To ensure this right, Atal Residential Schools have been established as a model for inclusive education,” the chief minister said.

Adityanath directed the management of Atal Residential Schools to conduct written exams for students between classes 6 and 9 by June 15 next year and ensure that admissions are completed by July 15, with the academic session beginning on August 1. He also instructed that meetings with parents should be held twice yearly to keep them informed and engaged.

Alleging that previous governments failed to provide education for the underprivileged despite having resources, Adityanath said: “How could those who incite caste-based conflicts and fuel social discord in the name of social justice understand the sting of poverty.”

“These people neither have the time nor inclination to understand such sufferings as they are solely focused on their political agendas. Their only goal is to divide people for political gain. They do not want the underprivileged to escape poverty, deprivation, or illiteracy because if this were to happen, their divisive politics would collapse. They intend to push society toward division by any means necessary,” Adityanath said.

At the event, the CM distributed school bags and textbooks to students. He also awarded prizes and certificates to the top three students from class 6 in the 2023-24 academic session.