In a significant step towards boosting female literacy, the Uttar Pradesh government has finally initiated the process to implement a long-pending fee waiver scheme for sisters studying in the same school. The move comes nearly four years after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath first announced the incentive aimed at encouraging the education of the girl child.
File Sent to CM's Office for Nodal Department Decision
The state's Basic Education Department has formally put up a file to the Chief Minister's office, seeking a decision on which department will be responsible for rolling out the ambitious scheme. This administrative action marks the first concrete movement since the announcement was made back in 2021.
When contacted, Additional Chief Secretary for Basic and Secondary Education, Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma, confirmed the development. "We have already put up a file to the CM office to decide the nodal department. The file has not come back yet with orders," Sharma stated, highlighting that the ball is now in the court of the Chief Minister's office.
Scheme Details and Election Commission Hurdle
The innovative scheme, announced by CM Yogi Adityanath in 2021, proposed a financial incentive for families with multiple girl children. Under its provisions, if two real sisters are enrolled in the same school, the management is encouraged to waive the fee for one of them. In cases where schools do not provide this waiver, the state government promised to reimburse the amount.
However, the initiative faced an unexpected roadblock. In February 2022, the Election Commission of India suspended the scheme. The suspension was ordered citing a violation of the Model Code of Conduct that was in force due to the state assembly elections at the time. The poll body directed the Uttar Pradesh government to put the scheme on hold until the conclusion of the elections.
The implementation process required the education department to undertake a massive data collection exercise from families of girl children across the state, a task that was halted following the EC's directive.
Women Welfare Department Likely Nodal Agency
While official orders are still awaited from the Chief Minister's office, government sources indicate that the Women Welfare Department has been chosen as the nodal department for this crucial initiative. This selection aligns with the scheme's core objective of empowering and supporting the female population of the state through educational means.
The revival of the file movement suggests the state administration is now serious about operationalizing a policy that has been in limbo for an extended period. The scheme is viewed as a strategic tool to improve the enrollment and retention of girls in schools, addressing a key challenge in the state's education landscape.
Education activists and child rights groups have long advocated for such targeted financial interventions to reduce the dropout rate among girls, especially at the secondary school level. The successful implementation of this sister fee waiver could set a precedent for other states looking to create gender-sensitive educational policies.
