CHANDIGARH: In response to an MLA's query during the Question Hour in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday, Minister of School Education, Harjot Singh Bains, said that before March 16, 2022, there were over 3500 schools in the state with either no teacher or only one teacher, which has now come down to approximately 600.
Highlighting the transformative changes in school education under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann's leadership, Minister Bains assured the House that Punjab aims to become the first state where no school will lack a teacher or have only one teacher by March 31, 2024.
He reiterated the government's commitment, citing the naming of the Khatkar Kalan School after Shaheed Bhagat Singh, a move unprecedented in the last 70 years. The minister reported ongoing construction in every government school in Punjab, noting that Nangaran School, part of his constituency Anandpur Sahib, now has boundary walls after seven decades.
Regarding finances, Minister Bains stressed that Rs 323 crores were allocated for constructing boundary walls, with Rs 290 crores already expended. He provided additional details, including the completion of 1300 km of boundary walls in 7654 schools and the construction of 10, 000 new rooms. Punjab leads the country in deploying security personnel to schools, and the installation of Wi-Fi systems in all schools is projected by March 31, 2024, the minister added.