To strengthen the state’s enrollment drive, Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains launched a statewide campaign on Thursday at Government Primary Smart School, Phase-2, SAS Nagar, to boost student enrollment in government schools.
As part of this initiative, he flagged off a specially designed van featuring banners and loudspeakers to raise awareness. A total of 23 such vans will travel across all 228 educational blocks in Punjab, encouraging parents to enroll their children in government schools.
Education Minister Harjot emphasized the department’s goal of increasing enrollment in pre-primary schools by 10%. Last year, more than 3.51 lakh students were admitted to Punjab’s 13,100 pre-primary schools.
Education Minister Harjot further stated that this enrollment drive would help identify out-of-school children, promote government school admissions, and foster community participation to ensure universal education. The campaign will involve local MLAs, Deputy Commissioners, SDMs, public figures, School Management Committees (SMCs), panchayats, and school heads to raise awareness about the importance of education.
Highlighting recent achievements, Education Minister Harjot shared that 189 government school students successfully cleared the JEE Mains examination this year, demonstrating the improving quality of education in these institutions. He congratulated the students and acknowledged the efforts of their teachers.
Speaking on the initiatives undertaken by the Punjab government under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Education Minister Harjot noted significant improvements in school infrastructure and facilities. Over the past three years, all government schools have been equipped with Wi-Fi, furniture, and separate toilets for boys and girls. Additionally, transportation facilities have been introduced for Schools of Eminence and 17 girls’ schools. More than 10,000 new classrooms have been built, 6,000 renovated, and 1,300 km of boundary walls constructed in 8,000 government schools.
The event was attended by Director SCERT Ms. Amaninder Kaur Brar, Director School Education (Secondary) Paramjit Singh, and other senior officials from the department.