See a school complaint online? UP officials will now have to verify, address it

Scanning social media complaints

The UP Education department has instructed officials to track social media handles and posts carrying information that may be misleading, while ensuring that factual information is communicated appropriately. “Any complaint received through social media, mass media or other medium should be promptly checked and inspected and its authenticity and factual status should be presented on the social media handles of the District Magistrate of the district concerned,” said the directive.

The instructions have also been sent to divisional and district-level education officials for “strict and regular compliance”.

Schools to check basics

Officials have been asked to ensure that schools have and maintain essential facilities including safe drinking water, separate toilets for boys and girls, hand-washing arrangements, blackboards, mid-day meal kitchens, electricity connections and functional electrical equipment.

Schools have also been asked to use available composite grants for minor repairs and maintenance.

Officials have also been told to ensure that students receive uniforms, teachers attend regularly, and teaching-learning activities take place without disruption.

The department has also flagged cleanliness issues and waterlogging during the monsoon. Development department teams are to inspect school premises; any deficiency found during inspections is to be addressed at the local level, according to the directive.

With many protests also regarding roads leading to the schools, the order directed officials to address safety risks around school buildings.

Coordination with the Public Works Department, local bodies and electricity department has been sought to improve road access to schools, drainage from school premises and the shifting of high-tension/low-tension wires passing over school buildings.

The department has also asked officials to regularly monitor ongoing construction work in basic and secondary schools to ensure quality. This comes alongside directions for School Management Committees (SMCs) to remain involved in maintaining the day-to-day quality of schools.

Girls’ residential schools get separate safety checklist

For Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, the department has prescribed additional checks: a secure environment, availability of women security guards, hygienic toilets apart from other essentials.

The directive also calls for medical facilities and timely visits by women doctors, where required. Officials have been asked to coordinate with women officers of different departments for physical inspections and ensure immediate correction of deficiencies identified during such checks.

Mid-day meals, student safety prioritised

Officials have been asked to ensure that students regularly receive good-quality meals under the PM Poshan scheme. The directive comes amid several videos from UP schools going viral over the past month, showing poor-quality food being served to children.

The order also stresses that students’ safety and privacy should be protected and that their dignity should not be compromised.

The department has also sought regular communication between teachers, education officials, parents, SMC members and students. Parent-Teacher Association meetings are to be held regularly, while parents are to be informed about students’ academic progress, attendance and behaviour through the Holistic Progress Card (HPC) or other available means.

Residental schools to be overhauled

In a related order, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Thursday called for a comprehensive overhaul of the management of Jai Prakash Narayan Sarvodaya Schools — which also saw protests — and directed officials to expedite the recruitment of teachers against vacant posts, officials said.

During a review meeting of the Social Welfare Department, which runs the schools, the CM directed officials to prepare clear rules for these residential schools and take steps to constitute a society for their systematic management and operation. He also sought details of teacher availability, essential staff and facilities being provided to students.

The number of JPN Sarvodaya Schools in the state has increased from 93 to 103 in the last nine years of the BJP government in the state. Of these, 59 are affiliated to CBSE, and the remaining 44 to the UP Board.