Prayagraj: Students enrolled in classes 3 to 5 in over 1.5 lakh govt-run and aided primary (up to class 5) and composite schools (classes 1 to 8) across the state will undergo assessment for foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) as part of National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN) Bharat Scheme. So far, the scheme has been implemented in UP to foster numeracy and basic literacy for children from Balvatika (pre-primary) to class 2.
Although this scheme is theoretically applicable only up to class 2, in practice, even children up to class 3 have been encompassed as part of endeavour to attain minimum educational learning standards in the state. Now, the state govt has decided to amplify the scope of the scheme. Presently, in accordance with directives dispatched by the Union Ministry of Education, in the context of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and National Curriculum Framework (NCF), this scheme will be executed for classes 3 to 5 in these institutions.
For this, an 11-member committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT). Director general (school education) Kanchan Verma, in her directive dated Aug 8, has instructed the committee to ascertain the target list for classes 3 to 5 and submit its report within a week on the proposed subjects along with the action plan for achieving the targets and financial provisions. The directive also enumerates the names of the committee members, with a senior expert (Quality-Samagra Shiksha) as its member secretary.
The Union Ministry of Education inaugurated the NIPUN Bharat Mission on July 5, 2021. The objective is to ensure that every child attains foundational literacy and numeracy by grade 3 by 2026-27. The mission's implementation guidelines delineate the academic and administrative structures required to prioritise learning at the foundational stage.
To actualise the mission, a five-tier implementation mechanism—from national to state, district, block/cluster, and school levels—has been established. The roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders and institutions have also been demarcated. We also published the following articles recently Ministry of Education calls on states to implement school safety guidelines The Ministry of Education has mandated States and Union Territories to enforce the "Guidelines on School Safety and Security-2021" to ensure childrens protection in schools.
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