"100 pc attendance of girls should be ensured through Aadhaar verification": UP govt instructs KGBV schools

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 9 : The Uttar Pradesh government held a virtual meeting of the staff at Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, issuing instructions that 100 per cent attendance be ensured through Aadhaar verification.

"In the meeting, a point-by-point evaluation of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya operations was conducted. Director General (School Education Department) Vijay Kiran Anand instructed that 100 per cent attendance of girls should be ensured through Aadhaar verification by enrolling up to the prescribed limit on the basis of the list of Never Enrolled and Out of School girls identified in the household survey provided by the Block Education Officer in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas," an official statement stated.

The director general, School Eduation, that the daily attendance of staff and girl students should be registered on the Prerna portal.

"If the presence of a girl child is recorded on the Prerna portal, but she is absent from the school, strict action will be taken against the concerned warden," an official statement quoted him as saying.

The authorities were also instructed to provide a completely balanced diet to girls studying in KGBV schools.

"Through DBT, funds are being sent for stationery, bangles, uniforms, and other items to be distributed to the girls on time. The food should be given in proper quantity as per the quality and menu standards. All the girls should be given a completely balanced diet. The KGBV warden will be personally responsible for managing the kitchen in their KGBV's common kitchen," the statement read.

The government also said that girls studying in these schools should be provided with assistance with career selection.

"Every girl should choose her career path and set goals for the future. For this reason, assistance with career selection should be given. Along with this, comprehensive information about the career the girls have chosen should also be provided, so that they can be better equipped to meet the challenges of the future by recognizing their own abilities," the statement said.

During the meeting, instructions were also issued regarding the safety of girls in schools.

"The safety of the girl child is paramount. No outsider should enter Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas. No teacher, student, or other worker will leave the school without marking it in the movement register," it added.

"If the name of the student's guardian, the name of the student, and the date and time of leaving the school are not mentioned in the movement register and the student is found absent at the time of inspection, then strict action will be taken against the warden immediately. Women officers from the State Project Office will carry out the monitoring in this regard by calling the KGBV staff and the girls. All wardens and full-time teachers must spend the night at the school," it stated further.

A decision recognisng the need for girls to become proficient in language and mathematics was also taken in the meeting.

"Under the innovation related to the "One word, one formula" (Ek Shabd, ek sutra) activity, one word each of Hindi and English and one formula of mathematics will be marked on the notice board of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas. The meaning of words, synonyms, antonyms, the use of words in sentences, and mathematical formulas will be used to solve the questions," the statement read.

"By keeping a diary of this activity, all the girls will practice and use the words and formulas given daily, marking them with the date. By conducting this activity, the girls will have a vocabulary of about 700 to 800 words in 3 years, which will make them proficient in language and mathematics," it added.

Further, in the meeting, among other instructions, KGBV schools were also asked to utilise the Rs 2 lakh maintenance fund.

The physical presence of girls will be marked three times daily, and records should be kept, failing which the warden/staff will be held responsible, the statement said.