Walls in UP Govt schools to display stories of women achievers

Awasthi.

Initiative aims to inspire students.

Prayagraj: The walls of the state’s government-run primary and upper primary schools will now tell the stories of prominent Indian women. According to senior state education department officials with knowledge of the development, the state government has ordered that one wall each of all 1.54 lakh schools across 75 districts be dedicated for this mission under Mission Shakti Phase-4 special campaign. The aim is to motivate students to emulate these personalities. These women role models include Rani Lakshmi Bai, Chand Bibi and SavitribaiJyotiraoPhule, Sarojini Naidu, Mother Teresa, LataMangeshkar, PT Usha and SainaNehwal among others.

Confirming the development, Praveen Kumar Tiwari, the Prayagraj district’s basic shikshaadhikari (BSA), said he issued an order dated June 10, 2022 to all Prayagraj district block education officers (BEOs) requesting that this initiative be implemented on priority in all government primary and upper primary schools operating in their respective areas. “The information about the women’s personalities will be provided by either painting a classroom wall or placing flex. The authorities have been instructed to post large and clear images of the female personalities as well as concise write-ups about them,” he continued.

The missive, a copy of which is in possession, names 19 prominent women, including Rani Lakshmi Bai, the queen of Jhansi and a leader of India’s first war of independence and Chand Bibi, the ruler and warrior who acted as the Regent of Bijapur Sultanate and defended Ahmednagar against the Mughal forces of Emperor Akbar in 1595. SavitribaiJyotiraoPhule (Indian social reformer, educationalist, and poet from Maharashtra) to Sarojini Naidu (proponent of civil rights, women’s emancipation who fought the British during India’s struggle for independence), Mother Teresa Nobel Peace Prize winner who dedicated her life to caring for the destitute and the sick, LataMangeshkar legendary playback singer and PT Usha noted former track and field athlete.  SuchetaKriplani, an Indian independence warrior and India’s first female chief minister, and SainaNehwal, a professional badminton player and former world number one. Other notable Indian women include poets and authors SubhadraKumariChauhan, Amrita Pritam, MahadeviVerma, astronaut Kalpana Chawla, noted singer Begum Akhtar, and Mary Kom.

The government has given instructions that the names of local or region-specific women of the district, development block, and divisional level women personalities can also be exhibited as part of this unique initiative, authorities said.