CM Bhagwant Singh Mann Honours 50 Punjab Teachers on Teachers’ Day, Hails Their Contribution to EducationMohali, 05 September (H.S.): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday said his government’s education reforms had transformed the state’s government school system and reiterated his vision of making Punjab a global education hub.

Addressing the state-level Teachers’ Day function in Mohali, the Chief Minister paid tribute to former President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and honoured teachers for their contribution to the education sector.

Mann said Punjab had moved from 27th position in education in 2021 to the top position in primary education, attributing the improvement to reforms undertaken by the state government. He said education was not merely a government department but a key pillar of Punjab’s socio-economic transformation.

Highlighting teacher training initiatives, the Chief Minister said 234 principals and education officers had received training in Singapore, 152 headmasters at IIM Ahmedabad and 144 primary teachers at the University of Turku in Finland.

He said 118 Schools of Eminence had been developed with modern infrastructure at a cost of ₹88.67 crore. The government had also installed Wi-Fi connections in 16,348 schools and was spending ₹488.67 crore on improving classrooms, laboratories, libraries and toilets.

According to Mann, ₹211.58 crore had been spent on school safety and basic infrastructure. The state has deployed 1,917 campus managers, 1,316 security guards, 7,113 sanitation workers and 1,785 chowkidars to improve the school environment.

The Chief Minister also highlighted the Business Blasters programme, under which ₹10.32 crore in seed money has been provided to 1.83 lakh students to develop business ideas. He said the initiative was aimed at turning students from job seekers into job creators.

Mann said vocational education in more than 20 trades was being provided in 1,490 senior secondary schools. He added that the government had allocated over ₹47 crore for free uniforms, ensured timely distribution of books and introduced transport facilities for students of Classes 6 to 12. Around 16 lakh government school students were also being provided nutritious meals under the nutrition programme.

Referring to Parent-Teacher Meetings, Mann said more than 24 lakh parents attended the latest PTM, reflecting increased parental participation in government schools. He also said 881 government school students had qualified JEE and NEET.

During the Teachers’ Honour Ceremony, 50 teachers, including 21 primary and 29 secondary teachers, received State Awards. Ten teachers received Young Teacher Awards, four were given Special Teacher Awards, six received Administrative Awards and five teachers were honoured on nominations made by the Education Minister.

Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains welcomed the dignitaries. MLA Kulwant Singh, Education Secretary Sonali Giri and other officials were also present.

Hindusthan Samachar / GURSHARAN SINGH