Punjab To Have No Single-Teacher Or Teacherless School By March: State Education Minister

Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains underlined that before the Bhagwant Mann-led government assumed power, there were 3,500 schools in Punjab running teacherless or with a single-teacher.

No Government School In Punjab To be Left Teacherless Or With Single-Teacher By March, Says State Edu Minister (Representational Image)

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The Punjab government has informed the state assembly that no government school in the state will function with a single teacher or without a teacher by March 2024. Notably, out of the 20,000 government-run schools across the state, around 3,500 schools were reported running either with a single teacher or teacherless, before the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government took charge of the state, Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains was reported as saying on the final day of the state assembly's two-day session. 

“Now, the number of such schools is less than 600. By March, Punjab will be the first state in the country where there will be no school without a teacher or (with) a single teacher," Bains was quoted by news agency PTI as informing the house. 

The Punjab minister’s statement came in response to Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi’s question on the existence of any policy of reservation in admissions for the education of children belonging to Scheduled Caste, backward classes and economically weaker families in private schools. The minister further informed that by far, 4,000 schools have been equipped with Wi-Fi, and by March, all government schools in the state will have Wi-Fi. 

He further added that efforts from the state government are on to revamp the education infrastructure across the state. He said that besides adding up 10,000 new classrooms, the state government is also providing free education to all students in government and government-aided schools, according to the Right to Education Act. "Each student, irrespective of social category/class/economic status/or any other parameters, has the right of admission to government and government-aided schools. All possible efforts are being made by the government to improve the standard in schools," Bins was further quoted as saying. 

In response to Congress MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring’s question on Schools of Eminence, Bains was reported as saying that the state government has proposed to convert 117 government senior secondary schools into Schools of Eminence. "Government Senior Secondary School Chheharta, Amritsar, has been converted into a School of Eminence from March 2022," he said.

Concerning the abundance of land with the concerned schools poised to be developed as ‘School of Eminence,’ the state government hasn’t acquired new pieces of land for the development. Bains said that the new blocks of schools are being built on the excessive land available with 60 such schools. He also added that Rs 204.80 crore was earmarked in the 2023-24 budget for the development of these schools.