CM Bhagwant Mann: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been at the forefront of major reforms and initiatives aimed at changing the face of the education department within the state ever since he was sworn in as CM. Recently Punjab Social Justice, Empowerment and Minority Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur said that an amount of Rs 39.69 crore has been released by the state government for free textbooks to Scheduled Caste students. His government has announced several key schemes with which to improve infrastructure and quality within the higher education system for more accessible and quality-oriented education to students of Punjab.
Schools of Eminence Initiative
One of the ambitious projects rolled out by the Bhagwant Mann administration has been the scheme called “Schools of Eminence“. This would work out the remodeling of government schools so as to make them compete with high standards of education and infrastructural functionability. The plan involves thrusts on state-of-the-art facilities, modern teaching tools, and all-round development of students. It also covers training for teachers to upgrade their teaching methodology and students’ quality education.
Fee Regulation in Private Schools
Amidst the growing concern for rising education costs, the Mann government wasted no time in bringing into force a fee regulatory mechanism in private schools. On March 30, 2022, Bhagwant Mann ordered that private schools in Punjab were not allowed to hike their fees for the year. The measure is a part of an effort to ease the financial burden on families so that education remains within the reach of everybody, not just the privileged few.
Infrastructure Upgrades and Modernization
The Punjab government is heavily investing in upgrading the educational infrastructure through renovation and modernization of the already existing schools, besides providing new facilities and amenities to ensure that all schools have basic facilities such as clean drinking water and functional toilets.
Overall Education Development
The government thus has been striving towards a holistic approach to education by introducing skill development and vocational training into the system. This trains the student academically not only for the challenges of daily life but also for suitable employment opportunities.
Scholarship Facilities
For these economically weaker sections of society, Bhagwant Mann’s government has initiated various scholarship programs and financial assistance programs to support such students. This would definitely help in reducing the dropouts and is a financial help related to educational material and fees.
Overall, improvement in educational quality and its accessibility by Bhagwant Mann’s government seems very holistic in approach. The administration is working on building a strong foundation for future Punjab with novel schemes and educational reforms.
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