New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh Education Department has issued a 14-point checklist to over 40,000 primary and secondary schools in the state on Thursday (August 20). The directive comes in the wake of the students’ protests, particularly at Jai Prakash Narayan Sarvodaya Schools, over lack of basic facilities, infrastructure and teaching staff.Chief Minister Adityanath, during a review meeting of the Social Welfare Department, instructed officials to constitute clear regulations for residential schools, form a society overseeing their systemic management and operation, depute officers to interact with students and verify the issues raised during the protests.What does the directive say?As per a report by The Indian Express, the checklist pertains to inspection of facilities such as drinking water, separate restrooms for boys and girls, electricity supply, safety measures, blackboards and the quality of mess and canteen food, provided under the PM Roshan scheme. Schools have been asked to utilise available composite grants for minor repairs and installations.The department has also asked officials to record student complaints on social media, verify them and address them and to track social media posts and handles allegedly carrying misleading information.“Any complaint received through social media, mass media or other medium should be promptly checked and inspected and its authenticity and factual status should be presented on the social media handles of the District Magistrate of the district concerned,” the directive, according to The Indian Express.Officials have also been directed to ensure that all students have access to uniforms and that teachers attend school regularly, causing minimal disruption to academic activities.As per the directive, shortcomings found out during inspections, such as cleanliness issues and water-logging during the monsoon season, are to be addressed at the local level. An inspection of safety risks around school premises, such as unsafe roads, inadequate drainage and high-tension/low-tension wires passing over school compounds have also been flagged by the directive. The department has proposed a collaboration with Public Works Department, local bodies and electricity department to address these issues.Additional checks have been ordered for girls’ residential schools such as the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, apart from the essential amenities: availability of women security guards, secure campus premises, timely visits from women doctors and hygienic sanitation facilities. Women officers of different departments have been asked to coordinate for inspections of girls’ schools and to immediately correct any deficiencies found, reported The Indian Express.The order also seeks improved communications between teaching staff, educational officers, parents, School Management Committees (SMCs) members and students, with parent-teacher meetings to be held regularly and parents appraised of their child’s performance via a Holistic Progress Card (HPC) or other means.Student protests that led to government actionThe governmental action stems from the recent student protests that broke out in various districts of the state, including Lucknow, Unnao, Hamirpur, Moradabad and Kannauj. Hundreds of “Gen Alpha” staged blockades and demonstrations demanding basic amenities and adequate teaching staff at governmental institutions and calling attention to long-ignored concerns.The wave of protests closely followed the nationwide Cockroach Janta Party-led youth movement against education reforms.As reported by The Wire, the agitation began on July 28 after 1,500 students of Sarvodaya Inter College staged a four-hour sit-in outside their school gates. On August 19, students of Jai Prakash Narayan Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Unnao blocked the Mohan-Ajgain crossing to protest acute teacher shortages and substandard food. On August 17, nearly 200 students from the Jai Prakash Narayan Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Lucknow blocked a road to protest against teacher vacancies. Last week, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya students in Kannauj locked themselves in their rooms and went on a hunger strike over poor-quality meals.Each time, rattled by the intensity of the students’ protests, district administrators and senior administrative officers conceded to demands, agreeing to listen to grievances that had been otherwise overlooked.