Our govt supported 1.5 Lakh Shiksha Mitra families: Chief Minister

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath felicitated Shiksha Mitras at a ceremony organized by the Basic Education Department in Gorakhpur

Previous govts made a malicious attempt to grant recognition as assistant teachers without following rules and regulations, which was completely against the law: Chief Minister

Our nature cannot be like that of a trade union; only a positive approach can help build a strong generation: CM Yogi

CM: If teachers or Shiksha Mitras adopt a negative mindset, they will weaken the foundation of children, causing harm to society and the nation

The govt resolved your long-pending demands through dialogue and cooperation, not through confrontation: CM

In 2017, the govt increased the honorarium of Shiksha Mitras from ₹3,500 to ₹10,000, and now it has been raised to ₹18,000 per month: Chief Minister

Gorakhpur, May 2026 : Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath strongly criticized the governments that ruled before 2017. He said, “Previous governments made a malicious attempt to recognize Shiksha Mitras as assistant teachers without adhering to rules and regulations, which was completely unlawful. Due to this mistake, the Supreme Court ordered the termination of all Shiksha Mitras’ services. This created a major challenge before us. Around 1.5 lakh families could have been pushed to starvation on the streets. These people had been serving for 18 to 19 years. At that stage of life, where could they have gone? At that time, we decided in the Cabinet that their services would not be terminated; instead, we would continue to take their support.

He added,” In 2017 itself, the government increased the honorarium of Shiksha Mitras from ₹3,500 to ₹10,000. Now it has been further enhanced to ₹18,000 per month, which has also been implemented from April onwards.”

CM Yogi was addressing the state-level Shiksha Mitra Felicitation Ceremony organized by the Basic Education Department in Gorakhpur on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister urged everyone to completely abandon trade union-style thinking and negative attitudes.

He said, “If teachers or Shiksha Mitras remain fixated only on demands and carry a negative mindset, they will not only weaken the foundation of children but also harm society and the nation.”

“Our nature cannot be like that of a trade union. The nation comes first, then we come. Only those who work with a positive spirit can build a good generation. The government stands with you with a positive approach, therefore negativity should have no place,” he said.

He added that the government resolved their long-pending demands through dialogue and cooperation, not through confrontation.

The Chief Minister shared that during the Janata Darshan programme earlier in the day, a Shiksha Mitra family approached him regarding their seriously ill daughter who requires dialysis. “That is why I decided to extend the Prime Minister’s cashless health security scheme to Shiksha Mitras as well,” he said.

The CM added, “All Shiksha Mitras will be provided annual cashless health coverage of ₹5 lakh. Those who may have been left out will also receive this facility. Instructions have been issued to the Basic Education Council to ensure that all eligible beneficiaries are covered immediately. A grand ceremony will soon be organized to distribute the health cards to everyone.”

The Chief Minister said, “The Basic Education Council has been instructed to ensure that bank accounts of all Shiksha Mitras are opened immediately so that honorarium payments can be transferred directly into their accounts. The government has also arranged postings for Shiksha Mitras within their districts and nearby schools. In particular, married women Shiksha Mitras will be provided the facility of mutual transfers to schools near their parental or marital homes.”

The Chief Minister said, “Uttar Pradesh has progressed in every sector and the transformation is clearly visible. Under Operation Kayakalp, the condition of schools has drastically improved. Earlier, facilities such as toilets, drinking water, flooring, furniture and smart classrooms were available in only 30 to 36 percent of schools, whereas now availability has reached 96 to 99 percent. The dropout rate has reduced from 19 percent to 3 percent.”

“A child dropping out of school is a national loss,” he remarked.

He added, “Earlier, girls did not attend schools because there was no drinking water, separate toilets or security. Today, 1.6 crore children are being provided two uniforms, bags, books, shoes, socks and sweaters.”

Referring to schemes such as NIPUN Bharat, PM SHRI and Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalayas, the CM said that Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalayas have now been expanded up to Class 12 and residential schools are being opened in new development blocks. PM SHRI schools, Atal Tinkering Labs, CM Composite Schools and Atal Residential Schools are emerging as model institutions.

Sharing his personal experiences, the Chief Minister said that before 2017, children could barely read a single line, whereas today second-grade girls are reading entire pages fluently. He also mentioned a visually impaired girl who was reading Braille fluently and speaking confidently, calling it a true example of development.

Recalling another incident, he said that a three-year-old child at his mundan ceremony told him, “I got my hairstyle done to look like you,” which deeply touched him.

The Chief Minister urged Shiksha Mitras to intensify the ‘School Chalo’ campaign as soon as schools reopen in the first week of July. “Every child must reach school,” he said.

He advised teachers to arrive half an hour early and visit at least 25 households to interact with parents. He emphasized teaching children with affection and never resorting to physical punishment. He added, “Teachers should inspire children through good stories, poems and examples. Parents should also be made aware of the proper use of uniforms, sweaters and other facilities provided to students.”

“Do not bring family disputes into schools,” he advised.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister congratulated all 1,43,000 Shiksha Mitras and urged them to discharge their duties with dedication, honesty and positivity.

He said, “Only an educated society can build a strong nation and that the foundation of a developed and self-reliant India will be laid through education.”

During the ceremony, the Chief Minister personally felicitated selected Shiksha Mitras and handed over cheques reflecting the increased honorarium. Those honored included Sangeeta (Gorakhpur), Pratima Gupta (Gorakhpur), Faria Tabassum (Gorakhpur), Tej Bhan Singh (Kasganj), Dhirendra Kumar Sharma (Firozabad), Sanjay (Maharajganj), Shashi Prabha Singh (Maharajganj), Abhay Kumar (Deoria), Suman Lata Devi (Deoria), Sarvesh Kumar Pandey (Kushinagar), Anuradha (Kushinagar), Lalta Prasad (Basti), Sonu Yadav (Sant Kabir Nagar) and Meera (Gorakhpur).

During the programme, the Chief Minister released ‘Arunoday’, a student leadership-based prayer assembly activity calendar.

The objective of the calendar is to transform morning assemblies into a medium for holistic student development rather than limiting them to traditional activities. It includes activities related to environmental conservation, science, mathematics, language skills, interpersonal communication, expression of ideas, role play, action songs and arts and crafts so that children can learn and develop leadership qualities during the prayer assembly itself.

By releasing the calendar, the Chief Minister provided an excellent guide for students and teachers at the primary and upper primary levels.

Earlier, the Chief Minister also performed Annaprashan ceremonies for several children and distributed gifts to women.

He also visited an exhibition related to basic education, observed innovative models created by children and appreciated their efforts. He interacted warmly with the young children as well.

Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh, Gorakhpur MP Ravi Kishan Shukla, Zila Panchayat Chairperson Sadhana Singh, Gorakhpur Mayor Dr. Manglesh Srivastava, Legislative Council Member Dr. Dharmendra Singh, MLAs Vipin Singh, Mahendra Pal Singh, Pradeep Shukla, Rajesh Tripathi, Vimlesh Paswan and Shravan Nishad, State Women Commission Vice Chairperson Charu Chaudhary, Regional President Sahajanand Rai, District President Janardan Tiwari, Rajesh Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary Education Parth Sarathi Sen Sharma, Director General Monica Rani and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion.