To revamp the education system in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP), the Uttar Pradesh government has launched the "learning by doing" programme. As part of this initiative, the Basic Education Council schools will be updated to skill development centres, where the students will get both education and training in a wide range of skills.

According to a state government spokesman, the programme is designed to increase the proficiency of students between Class VI to VIII in Mathematics and Science subjects. It will also introduce students to fundamental vocational skills and technologies, in order to prepare them for future employment opportunities, as per a report by IANS.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasises the need for vocational education to develop a skilled workforce. Under "learning by doing", approximately 60 activities from four trades (Engineering and Workshop, Energy and Environment, Agriculture, Nursery, and Gardening, Home and Healthcare) were mapped to the Science and Mathematics curricula for Classes VI to VIII.

The programme will be launched for the current academic year. In the first phase, it will be flagged off at two upper primary schools each from all development blocks of the state, totalling 1,772 schools. In the second phase, the programme will cover all upper primary and composite schools.

To establish labs for relevant trades in each school, tools, equipment and lab setup materials will be procured through the Government e Marketplace (GeM) portal. It is estimated that Rs 1,66,493 will be spent per school, which amounts to a total expenditure of around Rs 34.73 crore for all 1,772 schools. In the comprehensive annual education plan and budget for 2023–24, the government approved a total amount of Rs 88.6 crore for the programme at a rate of Rs 5 lakh per school under the State Specific Innovative Activities.

Workshops will be organised to develop a module for technical instructors and for Science teachers under the scheme. The trained instructors from relevant schools will then implement the developed module in their respective schools. Additionally, the outsourcing services of technical instructors will be utilised for the smooth execution of the programme, as per IANS.