Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday batted for artificial intelligence (AI) literacy, saying emerging technologies were opening up new opportunities in education, healthcare, agriculture, industry and employment.
Education, he said, should not be limited to teaching children how to read and write but should also impart knowledge, values, discipline, confidence and an understanding that gives their lives the right direction.
“Today, technology is rapidly changing our lives. In such a situation, along with digital literacy, AI literacy is also the need of the hour,” the chief minister said in an open letter to people ahead of International Literacy Day on September 8.
“AI, deep-tech and emerging technologies are opening up new opportunities in education, health, agriculture, industry and employment,” he said on X.
CM Adityanath said his government was integrating traditional knowledge with modern science, technology, innovation and skills.
He said the developing ecosystem of AI City in Lucknow and drone and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology in Kanpur were laying the foundation for new possibilities for Uttar Pradesh’s technological future.
Noting that he had the opportunity to honour 81 teachers on Teachers’ Day on September 5, Adityanath described teachers as lamps who spread the light of knowledge and pave the way for future generations.
“Our children do not go to school merely to learn how to read and write. Our objective is to provide them knowledge, values, discipline, self-confidence and an understanding that guides their lives in the right direction,” he said.
Referring to India’s ancient knowledge tradition, the chief minister said the gurukul system had served as centres of holistic education where students were taught life values and a sense of responsibility along with knowledge.
“This spirit should continue to form the basis of our education even today.
Knowledge is meaningful only when it makes life easier and proves useful to society,” he said.
Adityanath said the state government had focused on improving the quality of education, school infrastructure, preparation for competitive examinations and skill development of youth through initiatives such as Operation Kayakalp, Mission Prerna, the Mukhyamantri Abhyudaya Yojana and skill development programmes.
As a result of these efforts, significant progress had been made in bringing down the dropout rate in schools and connecting more children with the mainstream of education, he said.
The chief minister said teachers remained the most important link in the entire journey as they inculcated values, curiosity, discipline, confidence and a sense of responsibility among students while connecting India’s rich knowledge tradition with modern knowledge and innovation.
He also stressed that the goal of universal literacy could not be achieved without the cooperation of society.
“If there is any person around you who is deprived of basic literacy, it is the duty of all of us to make that person literate,” CM Adityanath said, adding that even a small effort to teach someone how to read and write could open new doors of knowledge, confidence and opportunities.
Calling upon people to take a pledge on International Literacy Day, the chief minister said every child should go to school, every student should receive quality education, every young person should be connected with skills and innovation, and every citizen should be aware of digital knowledge and AI along with being literate.
-PTI
