Lucknow, Feb 2 (IANS): The admission process for the second session has begun in Atal Residential Schools with the application process having already been completed in some of the divisions and nearing completion in Lucknow, Basti, Prayagraj, Devipatan, and Gorakhpur divisions.

Atal Residential School is a novel initiative of chief minister Yogi Adityanath to provide quality education to the children of registered construction workers and students who have lost their parents during the Covid period.

On the request of Atal Residential School, Uttar Pradesh, instructions have been given by the Director of Education (Basic) to the Basic Education Officers of all the districts to get maximum applications and prepare the students for the examination.

The instructions given by the Director of Education (Basic) Mahendra Dev include encouraging children of registered construction workers studying in class 5 in all basic schools and in class 8 in secondary education schools to take the entrance examination for 2024-25 academic session, as well as communicating about the actions taken in this regard to the Director of Atal Residential Schools and the Director of School Education in Uttar Pradesh.

All these students will apply for admission to the next class in the upcoming session and provided the syllabus for examination on school premises.

Selection will be made for 280 students in each school.

Shamim Akhtar, Deputy Secretary, Uttar Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, operating Atal Residential Schools, said that as per the intention of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, residential education is being provided to the children of registered construction workers as well as to the children who lost their guardians during the Covid period. Selection in these schools is based on the entrance exam.

For the academic session 2024-25, each school will admit 140 students in class 6 and 140 students in class 9, totalling 280 students per school.

The admission will be divided equally between boys and girls, with a 50-50 ratio. In all the divisions, the divisional level committee decides the date of examinations. The exam dates may vary in different divisions.

For admission to class 6 in Atal Residential Schools, students must not be born before May 1, 2012 and after July 31, 2014. For admission to class 9, interested candidates must not be born before May 1, 2009 and after July 31, 2011. This eligibility criterion applies to all categories, including SC, ST, and OBC.

Additionally, children of construction workers are eligible if their registration is completed by December 31, 2023, and they have completed at least 3 years by that date. Also, such construction workers should not have more than 2 eligible children. Under the orphan category, children who have become orphans due to Covid are eligible. They should be registered with the Women and Child Welfare Department.