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54 KGBVs in UP to offer free hostels to girls up to class 12

54 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas will now allow girls from class 9 to class 12 to also reside on their campuses and pursue studies for senior classes in nearby schools free of cost.

Updated on: Nov 22, 2019, 13:54:22 IST
Hindustan Times, Prayagraj | By
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In a first for the state, hostels of 54 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV), a network of residential girls only schools spread in 28 districts, will now allow girls from class 9 to class 12 to also reside on their campuses and pursue studies for senior classes in nearby schools free of cost, inform officials.

Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas. (HT)
Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas. (HT)

“This initiative will also be introduced in two such schools in Prayagraj in Kaundhiyara and Bahariya blocks,” said basic shiksha adhikari (BSA), Prayagraj, Sanjay Kumar Kushwaha.

For this, the hostels of these schools have been extended and provided additional facilities, share officials aware of the development.

Till now, these upper primary schools of up to class 8 used to house just those students studying in their own campuses, he added.

If this pilot project is successful, the facility could also be introduced to all Kasturba Gandhi schools, numbering around 800 with one in every educationally backward block (EBBs), town and minority concentrated areas of the state, to boost education among girls, especially those belonging to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes besides minority communities besides children of BPL families, officials claim.

The KGBV scheme was launched by Government of India to make the education system more responsive to the needs of marginalised girls and to enhance their access and retention.

However with facilities being offered only till class 8 in KGBVs, it was observed that many girls were dropping out for lack of adequate facilities after class 8. As a result, it has been decided to introduce a pilot project of providing same residential facilities in the hostels of KGBVs to even girls enrolled in class 9 to class 12 in nearby schools from this year, claim officials.

State project director of Sarv Siksha Abhiyan Vijay Kiran Anand on November 4 even ordered officials concerned to ensure additional beddings in hostels of these 54 selected KGBVs.

“Under the initiative, in the two selected schools of Prayagraj, facilities for 100 girls each of class 9 to class 12 are being made. Hostels of these two schools that would house these students of class 9 to class 12 would be transferred over to UP basic education department soon.

Two assistant cooks, one peon, one chowkidar, a sanitation worker and a full time teacher would be selected to manage the hostels,” said district inspector of schools, Prayagraj, RN Vishwakarma.

For this, the hostels of these schools have been extended and provided additional facilities, share officials aware of the development.

Till now, these upper primary schools of up to class 8 used to house just those students studying in their own campuses

With facilities being offered only till class 8 in KGBVs, it was observed that many girls were dropping out for lack of adequate facilities after class 8.

As a result, it has been decided to introduce a pilot project of providing same residential facilities in the hostels of KGBVs to even girls enrolled in class 9 to class 12 in nearby schools from this year, claim officials.

  • K Sandeep Kumar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    K Sandeep Kumar

    K. Sandeep Kumar is Senior Assistant Editor and Bureau Head of Hindustan Times in Prayagraj, where he leads the newspaper's editorial coverage across the region. With more than 25 years of experience in journalism, he has built a reputation for credible, in-depth and impact-driven reporting on Uttar Pradesh's governance, politics, education, agriculture, science and technology, defence, infrastructure and development. Over the course of his career, Sandeep has consistently broken and tracked stories that have shaped public discourse, with a particular focus on policy, public institutions and issues that directly affect people's lives. His reporting combines rigorous fieldwork with data-backed analysis, making complex subjects accessible to a wide readership. He has also written extensively on human-interest stories that spotlight resilience, innovation and social change across urban and rural Uttar Pradesh. As Prayagraj Bureau Head, he mentors reporters, drives editorial planning and ensures comprehensive coverage of one of India's most politically and culturally significant regions. His work is marked by accuracy, balance and context, reflecting a commitment to public-interest journalism and high editorial standards. Through his reporting, Sandeep continues to chronicle the evolving social, economic and political landscape of Uttar Pradesh while delivering insightful and reliable journalism for Hindustan Times readers.Read More