Authorities in Uttar Pradesh have tightened access to government-run schools, as the district education officials have issued a string of orders barring outsiders, including YouTuber, from entering school premises without authorisation. The move comes amid intensifying protests by students over poor infrastructure, inadequate drinking water and shortages of teachers at government-run schools across the state.

The orders issued by authorities cite the need to ensure the smooth functioning of teaching and learning activities. However, their timing has drawn numerous eyeballs, as students in several districts have taken to the streets to reflect on problems with basic facilities.

Student stirs put facilities in schools under spotlight

Notably, in Unnao, students blocked traffic on Wednesday while protesting over the poor quality of food and the lack of drinking water at their school. Earlier, in state capital Lucknow, students had staged demonstrations and had blocked roads for hours over teachers’ crunch.

Against the backdrop of the aforementioned incidents, education officials have been warning against unauthorised visits by outsiders who photograph or record videos of the conditions inside government schools.

Farrukhabad’s Basic Education Officer Vishwanath Pratap Singh was among the first authorities to issue such an order in April this year. In his circular, Singh alleged that certain people or groups claiming to be journalists were entering schools without permission, were photographing children in classrooms, were trying to inspect official records and were seeking information in a manner that could tarnish the Education Department’s image.

Officials asked to verify credentials of journalists

The order issued by Singh directed school authorities to politely ask anyone claiming to be a journalist to produce an identity card issued by the district information officer. It held that if valid identification was produced, officials could provide the requested information, but were directed not to permit capturing snaps of official documents or display records and departmental information. Subsequently, similar directives were issued by education authorities in other districts too.

On July 30, 2026, Agra’s Basic Education Officer Rakesh Singh cited instances of outsiders, YouTuber and other people entering government schools without authorisation and posting pictures, as well as videos of schools and staff on social media. He said such visits could disrupt teaching and learning, and underscored that the government and the district administration had designated officials responsible for inspecting and monitoring schools.

According to Rakesh Singh, these officials periodically take stock of schools and initiate measures to ramp up arrangements in accordance with established rules.

Orders resembling those emerging from Farrukhabad and Agra have cropped up from Azamgarh, Ballia, Basti, Ambedkarnagar and Ayodhya.

Similar directives issued in Rajasthan

Rajasthan also adopted a similar stance this month, where the government introduced guidelines restricting the entry of ‘outsiders’ into schools and prohibiting photography and videography on school premises without prior permission.

The move came after the spokesperson of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Ashutosh Ranka, participated in a student protest at a government school in Thanaganj, Alwar, where students had raised concerns over the dilapidated condition of the school and lack of drinking water.

The protest was part of the CJP’s ‘School Theek Karo’ campaign. The party has also announced plans to launch its pan-India ‘Kya Bolti Public’ campaign in September 2026 to get a hang of the concerns and expectations of people, particularly youngsters.