UP Sarvodaya residential schools to adopt private boarding school practices

NEW DELHI: Government-run Jayaprakash Narayan Sarvodaya residential schools in Uttar Pradesh, which cater primarily to students from backward communities and economically weaker sections, are set to undergo a major revamp by adopting management and academic best practices followed by some of the country's leading private boarding schools.

The Social Welfare Department on Thursday said it plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Boarding Schools' Association of India (BSAI) to bring qualitative improvements in the functioning of Sarvodaya schools. The department operates 125 Sarvodaya residential schools across Uttar Pradesh, providing free boarding and quality education to students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and other sections.

As part of the initiative, a meeting was held at The Doon School in Dehradun on Thursday with principals of several reputed boarding schools affiliated with BSAI. The discussions focused on effective administrative systems, student welfare, discipline, co-curricular activities and models for the holistic development of students, it said in a statement here.

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Sarvodaya staff to visit top boarding schools

Minister of State for Social Welfare (Independent Charge) Asim Arun, who attended the meeting, said the objective was to transfer the successful experiences of the country's best boarding schools to Sarvodaya schools. "This will strengthen not only the quality of education but also the residential and pastoral care systems in Sarvodaya schools," Arun said.

Under the proposed collaboration, teams comprising principals and teachers from Sarvodaya schools will undertake academic exposure visits to leading private boarding schools. They will study teaching methodologies, student care mechanisms, hostel management and administrative practices, the department said. Based on these learnings, a standard operating procedure (SOP) will be prepared and implemented across all 125 Sarvodaya schools in the state to ensure uniform improvement in facilities and governance, it said.