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Uttar Pradesh government sanctions ₹91.90 crore to boost early childhood education
The initiative will benefit government-run primary schools, co-located Anganwadi centers and Balvatikas across the state, including in Prayagraj.
In a significant move to strengthen early childhood education, the Uttar Pradesh government has approved a funding package of over ₹91.90 crore to upgrade facilities and learning resources for children aged 3 to 6 years. The initiative will benefit government-run primary schools, co-located Anganwadi centers and Balvatikas across the state, including in Prayagraj.
As part of the Union Education Ministry’s Project Approval Board’s annual work plan and budget for 2025–26, ₹53.07 crore has been allocated to supply stationery to pre-primary students enrolled in 53,074 co-located Anganwadi centers and Balvatikas.
Each child will receive stationery worth ₹1,000 per month for 10 months, according to an official order dated July 11 issued by director general of school education, Kanchan Verma. The list of items includes colour pencil sets, sharpeners, erasers, markers, chart paper, crayons, watercolour tubes, paper cutters, painting brushes, coloured art paper, scissors, and other essential supplies.
An initial amount of ₹26.53 crore has already been released for the first five months. A five-member committee, chaired by the school management committee (SMC) president, will oversee the procurement of 25 types of stationery items. In Prayagraj, 1,098 Balvatikas will benefit from this allocation, informed basic shiksha adhikari (BSA) Prayagraj, Devbrat Singh.
Additionally, ₹10.59 crore has been allocated to set up “learning corners” in 10,592 co-located Anganwadi centers and Balvatikas situated within UP Basic Education Council school premises, as per the same July 11 order. Each SMC will receive ₹10,000 for this purpose.
These learning corners will feature activity-based teaching tools such as art stations, building block zones, and performance corners, aimed at fostering the social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and fine motor development of children. At the school-level, a five-member committee led by the SMC president, with the headmaster as secretary, will manage the procurement. In Prayagraj, 295 Balvatikas will see the development of such learning spaces.
To further support engaging classroom instruction in government primary schools, ₹28.25 crore has been earmarked for the purchase of subject-wise teaching learning materials (TLM). These materials are intended to support effective learning across grades and are expected to be user-friendly, durable, non-toxic, low-cost or free, and locally-sourced. DG Kanchan Verma has issued detailed guidelines along with a recommended list of items to ensure quality and relevance.
In Prayagraj, ₹24.97 lakh will be allocated for 99,914 students in classes 1 and 2, and ₹43.04 lakh for 172,166 students in classes 3 to 5, BSA Devbrat Singh confirmed.
