Prayagraj: Uttar Pradesh Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Secondary Education, Gulab Devi, conducted a review meeting on Monday at the Circuit House in Prayagraj to assess the functioning and ongoing initiatives of the secondary education department. The meeting was attended by senior department officials and representatives of the Uttar Pradesh Board.
Presentation and Appreciation of Reforms
During the meeting, Board Secretary Bhagwati Singh delivered a detailed presentation on the board's activities, achievements, progress of various schemes, and ongoing construction works at the board office. The minister expressed appreciation for several reforms implemented by the board to enhance transparency and improve convenience for students.
Key Initiatives Praised
The minister commended the geo-fencing system introduced during intermediate practical examinations, which uses a mobile application to monitor examiners' attendance. She also praised the digital arrangement for immediate uploading of marks on the portal. Additionally, she lauded the provision of reserve sets of question papers for emergency situations during board examinations and the confidential centre-wise numeric coding on every page of question papers for security purposes.
The decision to shift answer sheets to A4 size and the inclusion of enhanced security features in marksheets-cum-certificates also received appreciation. The minister further commended the initiative to make textbooks easily available to students through online delivery on the e-commerce platform Amazon.
Directives for Implementation
Officials were directed to ensure the timely availability of textbooks and to widely publicise the online delivery facility. Instructions were also issued to strictly implement the academic calendar and ensure regular teaching and co-curricular activities in schools.
The minister asked officials to complete ongoing construction works within the stipulated time and make all necessary preparations before schools reopen on July 1 after summer vacations. Emphasis was placed on ensuring transparency and timely execution of all student-centric works.
About the Author
Rajeev Mani has been working in TOI's Prayagraj bureau for the past two decades, handling beats from education to excise and taxation to aviation. He loves travelling, singing, and meeting people, especially academics. He has extensively covered two Ardh Kumbhs (2007 and 2019) and two Maha Kumbhs (2013 and 2025), along with different assembly and general elections.
