UP Government And Nelco Limited Sign Historic Agreement To Set Up Dream Labs In 600 Schools

Lucknow: Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh Government has taken a historic step towards aligning school education with future requirements.

In this direction, Samagra Shiksha (Secondary), Secondary Education Department, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday signed an important Memorandum of Understanding at the Directorate of Secondary Education, Lucknow with Nelco Limited (a Tata Enterprise) and leading industrial groups for the establishment of advanced Dream Labs (Design, Robotics, Electronics, Additive Manufacturing) in 600 government secondary and higher secondary schools.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Additional Chief Secretary, Basic and Secondary Education, Parth Sarathi Sen Sharma and Director General, School Education, Monika Rani.

Additional Chief Secretary Parth Sarathi Sen Sharma said, “This agreement is not just a project, but an investment in the future of Uttar Pradesh’s youth. Considering the rapidly changing industrial requirements, it is the need of the hour to equip students with Industry 4.0-based skills. Dream Labs will become a strong medium in this direction, where students will gain practical and employment-oriented skills along with traditional education.”

Director General, School Education, Monika Rani, in her address, said, “This initiative will give a new direction to vocational education.”

She laid special emphasis on the effective operation of the hub and spoke model, installation of machinery, quality of trainers, regular attendance of students and result-based monitoring. She said “Just as a strong beginning is important, it is equally necessary to take it towards successful implementation, especially in aspirational districts.”

Under this project, a total of 600 schools across all 75 districts of the state, including 150 hub schools and 450 spoke schools, have been included. In the first phase, Dream Labs will be established in 18 hub and 54 spoke schools (total 72), in the second phase in 36 hub and 108 spoke schools (total 144), and in the third phase in 96 hub and 288 spoke schools (total 384).

These Dream Labs will be developed as modern innovation and skill development centres, where students from Classes 9 to 12 will receive practical training in advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), 3D Printing, advanced manufacturing, battery-operated electric vehicles, electronics, agricultural science, renewable energy, drone technology and design thinking.

This project is in line with the National Education Policy 2020, National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) and Skill India Mission. Its objective is to develop innovation, problem-solving ability, technical efficiency and entrepreneurship skills among students so that they can become competitive in the future global economy.

Under the five-year partnership model, the industrial group led by Nelco Limited will provide advanced machinery, digital platforms, software and maintenance support. Industry experts will also train students and ensure capacity building of teachers so that the model can become self-reliant in the long run.

Representatives fromglobal companies including Yaskawa, Mastercam, 3D Systems, AjnaLens and Ace Micromatic participated in the programme and described the initiative as a strong bridge between education and industry. They said that Dream Labs will provide students with real industrial experience and connect them with better employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

This project will play an important role in establishing Uttar Pradesh as a “skilled, self-reliant and innovation-based economy,” and in the coming years, schools in the state will produce a new generation of technical experts, innovators and entrepreneurs.

Additional Director (Vocational Education) Surendra Kumar Tiwari and Additional State Project Director Vishnu Kant Pandey, along with several senior officials, were also present on the occasion.