AMRITSAR-Marking a milestone in Punjab’s education reforms, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains conducted a surprise inspection at Government Senior Secondary School, Jhita Kalan, as part of his continued drive to strengthen and overhaul the state’s government education system. During the visit, he announced that he has completed ground inspections of over 2, 000 government schools across Punjab since assuming office, setting what he termed an unprecedented benchmark in the state’s history.
During this, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said, “I have set a new record by conducting ground visits to more than 2, 000 government schools across the state since I assumed office. This marks the first time in Punjab’s history that an Education Minister has undertaken such an extensive, grassroots-level review of the education system.”
He added, “There is no district left from Pathankot to Fazilka, Ferozepur to Mohali. This is my passion, this is my obsession. There are 20, 000 schools in Punjab, and I am on a mission.”
During his interaction with staff and students, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains reviewed the standards of education and management at the school and assessed the progress of the ‘Samarth’ program, a flagship initiative aimed at addressing the learning crisis in primary classes.
Recalling the situation when he assumed charge, he said that a significant percentage of children at the primary level were unable to read or write. He interacted with students who have progressed from struggling to identify letters to confidently reading words and sentences, underscoring the impact of the initiative in bridging the learning gap.
Harjot Singh Bains stated, “Through the ‘Samarth’ program, we identified these children and worked on them. Where we have good teachers, the results are excellent. But those who are tampering with the future of children will not be tolerated.”
Reaffirming the zero-tolerance policy of the Bhagwant Mann Government towards negligence, the Education Minister warned that strict action would be taken against educators who fail to discharge their responsibilities.
Highlighting steps taken to ensure safety and a conducive learning environment, Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that campus managers and security guards have been deployed at all government Senior Secondary Schools with enrolment exceeding 500 students.
Making an earnest appeal to the public and media, he said, “A negative thing goes viral very quickly. The good work being done by our dedicated teachers should also be shared. I appeal to you all to show the good work happening in schools like this one at Jhita Kalan. We have improved this school campus and infrastructure. The results here are shining, a student from the school cracked the JEE.”
Lauding the students’ recent examination performance and the infrastructure upgrades at the school, Harjot Singh Bains reiterated the Bhagwant Mann Government’s commitment to providing top-notch facilities in government schools. He also directed officials to expedite ongoing development projects to sustain the momentum of educational reforms being carried out under “Punjab Sikhya Kranti”.