Weeks before the 18 newly launched Atal Awasiya (Residential) Schools become operational, their principals recently convened for a two-day orientation programme at the Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey UP Sainik School in Lucknow.
Said to be a dream project of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the schools, named after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, are akin to Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas. These schools, established in all the 18 commissionerates of the state, are meant to provide quality education to the children of registered labourers in Uttar Pradesh for free, an official said.
Sainik School principal Col Rajesh Raghav guided the heads of Atal schools about running a residential institution. “There is no readymade recipe to run a residential school. Patience and keen observation are key,” he told them and narrated his past experiences of running Sainik Schools.
Chhavi Sinha, who has served as the principal of many schools of the city, was also invited to the programme. She deliberated on implementation of POCSO & Vishaka guidelines in schools. There was also Q&A session taken by Col Raghav.