UP Free School Uniform Scheme (यूपी मुफ्त स्कूल ड्रेस योजना) 2024 – Rs. 1200 Cash Assistance for Dress, Sweaters, Shoes

Uttar Pradesh government has relaunched new UP Free School Uniform Scheme on 1 August 2022 which was earlier launched on 6 November 2021. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath started direct bank transfer (DBT) process of Rs. 1,200 per student to parents of 1.91 crore children for uniforms, sweaters, shoes, socks, school bags and stationery items, among others.

The decision to start Free School Dress Scheme was taken in a cabinet meeting held earlier on 22 October 2021 and this yojana is now relaunched. Earlier CM Yogi Adityanath had transfered cash assistance of Rs. 1100 to bank accounts of parents of 1.8 crore students studying in schools under Basic Shiksha Parishad through direct benefit transfer. Now this amount has been raised to Rs. 1200 and the number of student beneficiaries has also increased to 1.91 crore.

The assistance under UP School Dress Yojana is for purchase of uniforms, sweaters, shoes, socks and school bags. The amount under यूपी मुफ्त स्कूल ड्रेस योजना has been credited directly to the bank accounts of the parents of the bonafide students. In UP Muft School Bag / Uniform Yojana, students from classes 1 to 8 in government and government-aided primary schools are eligible.

UP Free School Uniform Scheme (यूपी मुफ्त स्कूल ड्रेस योजना) 2024

UP Free School Uniform Scheme 2024 is a new initiative of the state govt. where govt. has transfered money to beneficiaries to enable them to purchase a uniform, sweater, socks, school bags, shoes and stockings. The amount of Rs. 1200 under UP Free School Bag / Uniform / Sweaters / Shoes scheme is credited to the accounts of the parents of class 1st to 8th students. यूपी मुफ्त स्कूल ड्रेस योजना money is paid to the parents of beneficiary students through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode i.e directly into their bank accounts.

Relaunch of UP Bag / School Uniform Scheme

Addressing a gathering on the occasion in Lucknow, the Chief Minister said, “Before 2017, government schools were in a dilapidated condition with grass and vegetation covering the school buildings, while there was an absence of teachers and students and children had no motivation to go to school. In the last 5 years, dedicated efforts have been made to improve the condition and as a result, the number of students has significantly increased.”

The CM said that there were about 60% to 70% of female students and a large number of male students, who used to walk to their schools barefoot. However, today, when these children are provided with shoes and socks, uniforms and sweaters, they are filled with pride and have new energy for going to school. Stating that his government’s aim is to develop state-run schools at par with the convent and private schools, Yogi said, “We implemented a new academic schedule for children, introduced innovative modules to make their learning easier, and as a result, the number of students has gone up which is also an encouraging factor for the Basic Education Department.”

Urging all principals and teachers to dedicate themselves to the holistic development of children, the CM said that a teacher plays the most important role after a parent in the personality development of the child. “Hence, it is our collective responsibility to shape the future of our children and address their needs with sensitivity. Our educational institutions have made us what we are today, so now it is our responsibility to make our educational institutions fit for our children,” he said. Maintaining that usage of technology-based learning is the need of the hour, Yogi said that technology must be efficiently utilised for improving the quality of education and at the same time all our learning values, morals and ethics should be kept intact.

Role of UP School Uniform / Bag Scheme in Development of Nation

The Chief Minister added that we must pledge to contribute towards making our country the most powerful nation. “Our teachers and schools play a very important role towards the development of the nation, schools are the foundation unit for a strong and prosperous country and therefore, we must keep our schools as clean and pure as our religious places and must educate our children effectively,” he said.

Talking about the penetration of education to the grassroots, Yogi emphasized that every Gram Panchayat must be such that each and every child there goes to school. Communication should be established with parents of children who are not coming to school and must be motivated to do the same. The Chief Minister said that all schools must develop a schedule to conduct awareness sessions regarding the current events that are taking place nationally and internationally for a better understanding of children and for making them responsible citizens.

“No negative comments and negative feedback should be given to children. Teachers must take note of the weaknesses of the child and give constructive feedback and only encourage a child to do better,” said the CM. The CM also asked the teachers and principals to make children aware of the freedom fighters belonging to their respective regions to commemorate ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsava’. “Teachers and shiksha mitras must also ensure that the money provided today to the parents is also utilised for the purpose it has been given and that children now attend schools religiously,” he added.

School Chalo Abhiyan Relaunched

Speaking about the ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’ re-launched by the state government to increase enrollment of children in schools, the Chief Minister said that after the Covid-19 pandemic, the most-affected sector was education, therefore, “we made all efforts ranging from recruiting new teachers on a large scale to developing basic facilities in schools — furniture, washrooms, libraries, playgrounds — under Operation Kayakalp to win the trust of people in the government schools and encourage their children to attain education through these schools.”

Eligibility Criteria for UP Free School Bag / Uniform Scheme

Only those students who fulfill the below mentioned criteria will be eligible for UP Free School Bag / Uniform Scheme 2024:-

• Applicant must be a permanent resident of Uttar Pradesh.
• He / She must be a student.
• Applicant must be studying in class 1st to 8th in any of the government or govt-aided school in UP state.
• Rs. 1200 assistance to be credited into bank accounts of parents of students for purchase of socks, shoes, sweaters, uniform, bags.

Benefits of UP Free School Uniform / Bag Scheme

Here are some of the major benefits of the UP Free School Uniform Scheme for Class 1st to 8th students:-

• UP Free School Uniform Scheme will ensure a transparent system for distribution of assistance for school uniforms, sweaters, shoes and school bags.
• It will develop a market for school dress, sweaters, shoes, bags at the local level. 
• UP Free Uniform / Sweaters / Shoes / School Bag Scheme will generate self-employment opportunities in rural areas. 
• Due to timely availability of proper facilities to the students, their attendance will improve.
• Learning-teaching environment will also improve with the implementation of UP Free School Dress Scheme. 

With this arrangement, the state, district and block level administrative officers will be in a position to focus more on improving the quality of education by being free from the procurement process. At present, free uniforms are provided to the students of classes 1 to 8 by the Uttar Pradesh govt. which are arranged through different processes. Due to this, timely supply of uniforms remains a challenge and sometimes complaints regarding the quality are also received.

Source / Reference Link: https://www.news18.com/news/india/up-cm-launches-scheme-for-public-school-children-students-to-get-rs-1200-for-uniforms-bags-5667883.html