Check copying in exams, fleecing by schools, Yogi tells officials

UP CM Yogi Adityanath has asked officials to curb the use of unfair means in the ongoing UP Board examinations. He was also interested in knowing how the officials planned to roll out BJP’s promise to provide free books, uniform, shoes and school bags to poor students up to class XII.

Having asked officers to be ready to work for 18 to 20 hours daily, chief minister Yogi Adityanath sat till Monday midnight hearing bureaucrats of the education department make presentations before him.

Mass copying at a centre in Palimukimpur village in Atrauli (Aligarh).(Mahipal Singh / HT Photo)

Sources said the CM was especially interested in knowing how the officials planned to roll out BJP government’s promise to provide free books, uniform, shoes and school bags to all poor students up to class XII.

Principal secretary basic education Ajay Singh, who made presentation on his department, later said, “If the CM stayed back so late to hear about things in the education sector, it certainly augurs well for the students.”

Sources said in his meeting with officials, the CM laid special focus on curbing use of unfair means in the ongoing UP Board examinations and checking fleecing by private schools. While principal secretary secondary education Jitendra Kumar didn’t comment on what all was discussed at the meeting, sources said the CM emphasised on making the examination system free from the menace of copying mafia.

Deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma, who is also the education minister, has visited examination centres. Along with primary, secondary, higher education departments, the CM also sat through presentations made by technical education department. “Restoring credibility of UP’s examination system is high on CM’s agenda,” a government official said.

The departmental presentations would continue for two weeks with officials of Industrial Development (April 6), Agriculture (April 7), PWD (April 8), Social Welfare (April 9), Secretariat Administration (April 12), Panchayati Raj (April 13), Health (April 15), Excise and Mining (April 18), Home (April 19) and Culture (April 20) likely to make presentations.