Soon, child-friendly furniture for 26,599 government schools in Uttar Pradesh
The common scene of students sitting on mats spread on floors in classrooms would soon become a thing of past in government-run upper primary schools across UP Once the schools reopen for physical teaching, after remaining closed for over one-and-a-half-years due to the pandemic, students would be able to use brand new comfortable desks and benches to study with pride.
The state government has sanctioned Rs 488 crore and released Rs 327 crore out of it in a biggest initiative of its kind for procurement of much-needed child-friendly furniture for students of 26,599 upper primary schools spread across 70 districts of the state, informed state education department officials.
Uttar Pradesh has 45,625 government-run upper primary schools for students from classes 6 to 8 in 75 districts and the initiative for purchase of furniture covers over 58% of these educational institutions, they added.
This procurement has been duly approved by the project approval board of the union education ministry too, they explained. In 2017-18, the state government had procured furniture for a section of these schools. But majority of them, especially those in rural areas, lack furniture.
“The government believes that the furniture would help improve classroom pedagogical practices, instill self-confidence among lakhs of students enrolled in these schools and also generate pride in them for their institution. The government also hopes that the move would spur admissions in these government schools,” said a senior official of the basic education department. Divisional assistant director (basic education), Prayagraj, Ramesh Kumar Tiwari said the furniture would be procured from the Government e-marketplace (GEM) portal overseen by a committee headed by respective district magistrates. “The furniture being procured would be child-friendly and provide adequate space between the desk and the chair,” he explained.