PRAYAGRAJ, March 29 -- Uttar Pradesh is set to launch a special enrolment drive aimed at increasing participation in higher education across the state in a bid to boost its Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education, which currently stands at around 27% The move draws inspiration from the 'School Chalo Abhiyan', which has significantly improved enrolment in primary and upper primary schools. Under this new campaign, all 24 state universities, along with 216 government-run and 330 government-aided degree and post-graduate colleges, will take part in a coordinated effort to encourage students to pursue higher studies. The initiative will formally begin in April, following the completion of Class 12 examinations conducted by major boards such as Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), officials said. As part of the campaign, state universities will organise 'Education Fairs' at divisional headquarters. These fairs will feature stalls set up by colleges, providing detailed information on courses offered, scholarships, facilities and career opportunities. Officials said the objective is to guide students and motivate them to enrol in colleges and universities. BL Sharma, director of UP higher education, confirmed that the campaign will be launched from Agra and gradually expanded across the state. It will include awareness drives, counselling sessions, and outreach programmes to ensure maximum student participation. The initiative comes at a time when UP's GER in higher education stands at around 27%. In line with national education goals, the state government has set a target of increasing this figure to 50% by 2035. Officials have expressed concern over a recent decline in student enrolment. In the 2025-26 academic session, approximately 48.95 lakh students enrolled on traditional courses such as BA, BSc, and BCom across government, government-aided, and unaided colleges. This marks a drop from 53.28 lakh students recorded in the previous academic year, as per department records. Until now, enrolment drives like the 'School Chalo Abhiyan' have been limited to school education, particularly for children aged 6-14 years. Scheduled from April 1 to 15 this year, the school-level campaign has shown positive results since its launch under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan nearly 25 years ago. With the introduction of a similar push in higher education, authorities hope to replicate this success and expand access to college and university education in UP....