Students in Punjab are returning to state-run schools, even during the pandemic, highlighting the Amarinder Singh government바카라s efforts to revolutionise the education sector once dominated by the private sector. Official data show a 15 per cent increase in enrolment in government schools during the last academic session바카라said to be the only state with such high numbers바카라from the previous year. This year too, enrolment in state-run schools has recorded an 11 per cent increase despite the second wave of the Covid pandemic.
Officials say that during the current academic session nearly 1.9 lakh students transferred from private schools to government schools. In the previous session, the number of students who opted for government schools was just over 1.6 lakh.
Experts and officials attribute the trend to a changed public perception about government-run schools due the education sector reforms undertaken by the Congress government in the state. 바카라There is a big change in these (government) schools. The difference can be felt,바카라 says Patiala-based Bhushan Sharma, who has shifted his two children from a private school. 바카라The infrastructure is better and I could feel improvement in the teaching-learning process,바카라 he adds.
Education secretary Krishan Kumar is credited for ramping up the enrolment drive, motivating students and their parents. He made announcements using public address system of gurdwaras and other religious places, and also took part in 바카라door to door바카라 campaigns in the villages. 바카라Keeping in view the efforts put in by the staff to improve quality of school education,바카라 says Kumar, 바카라officials, heads of schools, teachers and non-teaching employees are highlighting the achievements. MLAs, former MLAs, sarpanchs, doctors, bankers바카라all are reposing their faith in government schools.바카라
The CM with a student
Department spokesperson Pramod Bharti says officials, school heads, teachers and non-teaching staff have been working ceaselessly to convert the enrolment drive into a mass movement. Teachers even worked on holidays such as Baisakhi to propagate the qualitative improvement in government schools across the state. Board results for 2019-20 for class 12 has improved to 96.95 per cent from 88.36 per cent in 2018-19, and by more than 28 per cent over a period of three years. 바카라Our results speak for the improvement in the education system,바카라 the spokesperson adds.
Officials say the Smart School Policy has helped spruce up infrastructure, while e-content and digital education has come handy, especially during the ongoing pandemic when students are attending classes from homes. There are 19,111 schools in the state, out of whom 12,976 have been put in the 바카라smart바카라 category. During the lockdown last year, the education department launched the Ghar Baithe Sikhiya바카라learn at home바카라programme; teachers are reaching out to their students through Doordarshan and radio channels.
As per government data, 1.75 lakh students of class 12 were given smart phones and 3,502 tablets were distributed. As many as 2,512 middle-level schools, high schools (1,709) and senior secondary schools (1,894) have been provided computer labs. The Education Department has also launched the 바카라Punjab Educare App바카라 to enable students to have easy access study-related material. The recruitment of 8,393 teachers in the pre-primary level has proved to be a game-changer for extending foundation-level education. The government has also recruited 3,704 teachers in the master cadre for senior schools.
A large number of NRIs settled in North America, Europe, Australia and the Middle East have come forward to support the education department. In 2019, at least 2,550 government schools with dilapidated infrastructure were transformed into state-of-the-art schools.
By G.P. Singh in Chandigarh
