Lucknow, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday felicitated 81 teachers from the basic and secondary education sectors with the State Teacher Award at a Teachers’ Day function here.

Among them, 66 were from basic education and 15 from secondary education, officials said.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister released a children’s story collection ‘Gullak’, the ‘Bal Vatika’ handbook and the compilation booklet ‘Udgam’, prepared by State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).

He also launched the Udgam digital platform.

The ‘Gullak’ storybook aims to make learning engaging while instilling moral values in students, while ‘Udgam’ highlights innovative practices in schools, an official statement said.

A short film on summer camps and tree plantation drives of the Basic and Secondary Education Departments was also screened.

Adityanath also inaugurated smart classes in 1,236 government secondary schools and honoured five teachers each from both sectors with a cash prize of Rs 25,000, a citation, a Saraswati idol and a shawl.

Basic Education Minister Sandeep Singh said the government was committed to inclusive education through modern methods, with special focus on girls.

Secondary Education Minister Gulab Devi said cheating in examinations had been curbed under the Yogi government. She added that teachers were role models for both society and students.