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.

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)

“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.