Moving development discourse beyond law & order: The early promise of Uttar Pradesh’s school education reforms

In the pursuit of the ambitious national goal of achieving a  $5 trillion economy, the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) holds a key role. A holistic transformation of India’s largest state is essential for the broader economic transformation of the country. Central to this transformation is sound development policies, which skilled professionals should back. A robust education system is essential to prepare skilled human resources for any development centre, especially at the school level. In this light, the recent wave of education reforms in the UP is particularly noteworthy, signaling a fresh developmental commitment to address longstanding challenges. These reforms mark a break from the historical inertia in UP government’s approach towards education policy. Nonetheless, the encouraging signs of an improving school education receive insufficient attention in the ongoing narratives and discourse in the state, as compared to other issues like law & order. While crucial, issues like law & order are only enabling conditions for development rather than being the core of long-term structural reforms. Furthermore, similar encouraging efforts of other governments, such as Delhi NCT, have received comparatively more attention than those in UP. Thus, it is important to spotlight these advancements to amplify the impact of political will and build upon the positive changes in the UP’s school education.

Despite a brutal pandemic and longstanding challenges, there are optimistic developments within the UP’s overwhelmed school education system. For instance, the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2022 found major improvements in students’ learning assessments from 2018 to 2022. In Standard III, where most states witnessed a decline in the proportion of children reading at the Standard II level, the state experienced one of the smallest declines nationwide, and for Standard III mathematics, it showed an improvement on its 2018 levels. Further, the state has shown positive shifts in other key indicators like enrolments.  

With the monumental scale of the state’s education system, these positive trends are striking. With over 4.7 crore school students and about 2.6 lakh schools employing over 15 lakh teachers, the U.P. represents about 17.3% of schools, 17.8% of students, and 15.9% of teachers in India. In comparison, major states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Rajasthan report figures nearly half of the UP’s figures. In fact, the sheer size of the UP’s education system places it on par with some of the world’s largest countries, like Brazil, which also has 4.7 crore students. Thus, the delivery of education services in the state must be acknowledged and recognized as a Herculean task. 

The current regime is actively working to saturate schools with progressive policies, with initiatives like Operation Kayakalp showing the government’s strong commitment to change. Aiming to enhance school infrastructure, the program is among India’s largest inter-departmental convergence programs. Further, by partnering with civil society organizations, the government is bringing deep domain expertise for genuine positive change. For instance, students’ reading levels have noticeably improved with the Graded Learning Programme, which is being implemented in collaboration with civil society organizations. Furthermore, efforts aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 have been undertaken. Notwithstanding these favourable steps, public awareness and acknowledgement of these initiatives remain relatively low.

The weak discourse also reiterates the unhealthy underestimation of the impact of education policy. This pattern has often prevented the elevation of education as a prominent aspect of political discourse in India. However, education policy is the cornerstone of development. It is one of the rare policies that directly impact every citizen and holds great potential to drive upward social mobility. Education is essential for societies to fulfil their development agenda. This recognition is also enshrined in the Constitution by the inclusion of the right to education as a fundamental right. 

Today, UP is at a crucial juncture in its journey. Since 2007 in the U.P., despite wielding substantial mandates, earlier governments could not bring support for holistic development of the society. This pattern is changing as governments and electorates aspire for dignity and development. This change can be seen many states where electoral now is aspiring for better education system and policies so that their children can get certain skills for the employment. The electoral now is getting understood the importance of education how it can play role in their social mobility.  This new pattern is becoming visible in the government which is now emphasizing more on education system. Though the school system has not reached its optimal state, there are promising signs that need to be communicated to mobilize concerted efforts across sectors for transformative changes. The state’s school education still has a great distance to cover.

Nevertheless, despite continuing to trail in several key education indicators, UP’s early progress deserves more recognition and encouragement. It must carve its space in the state’s development discourse and political narratives, akin to the prominence achieved by issues of law & order. Through the careful formulation and strong implementation of an extensive bouquet of targeted education policies, the UP has the potential to not only enhance its education system but also inspire impactful actions in improving school systems in low-resource contexts across India and other developing nations.

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