PRAYAGRAJ, Jan. 28 -- The Uttar Pradesh government has begun efforts to devise a plan to strengthen English language proficiency among school students across the state, following directions issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national conference of chief secretaries held in New Delhi from December 26 to 28, 2025. To take the exercise forward, additional chief secretary (basic and secondary education) Partha Sarathi Sen Sharma has written to the director general of school education and the directors of the state's primary and secondary education departments, seeking concrete proposals to improve English learning among school students, officials aware of the development said. In the letter, issued on January 23, Sharma directed the officials to hold consultations with all relevant stakeholders and submit their recommendations by February 2, they added. The proposed steps are expected to impact students from Class 1 to 12 enrolled in over one lakh government-run primary and upper primary schools, as well as nearly 30,000 secondary schools across Uttar Pradesh. Officials said the move reflects the government's broader push to improve learning outcomes and equip students with language skills essential for higher education and employment. According to officials, the additional chief secretary specifically asked the departments of basic and secondary education to suggest practical steps to enhance students' proficiency in English. At the national conference of the chief secretaries, the PM had emphasised that while teaching in the mother tongue is important, it should not come at the cost of students' ability to speak and understand good English. He underlined the need to ensure that core subjects are taught in the mother tongue, while students simultaneously develop a strong command of English. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 also stresses proficiency in English. It calls for the development of high-quality bilingual textbooks and teaching-learning materials, particularly for subjects such as science and mathematics, enabling students to think about and discuss these subjects in both their mother tongue and English....