Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Sunday, 26 February said that including the modern city of the state SAS Nagar, the close proximity districts of the capital Rupnagar and Sri Fatehgarh Sahib will also be developed as education hubs.
Presiding over the session on "Education, Research, and Skilling" during the fifth edition of the Progressive Punjab Investors' Summit 2023 at ISB Mohali, Bains said that "Punjab is a leading state not just in India, but also globally".
Education Priority For Mann Govt
Highlighting various initiatives of the state government towards the development of the educational ecosystem in the state, he stressed upon the fact that education is a priority for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led government and the government is open to innovative ideas towards the growth of the education sector.
Bains said that the literacy rate of higher education in Punjab is 76% and the gender ratio in education is equal in the state. About 48% of the state's population is in the 0-25 age group, thus the state has immense potential for investment in the education sector.
The Cabinet Minister said that Punjab has secured four of the top five positions in the performance grading index of the Government of India. Similarly, as per the NITI Aayog Innovation Index Report 2020, Punjab is among the 10 states where educated workers are available.
It is a matter of pride for us that Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, has become the best university in the country with A++ grade, he added.
Entrepreneurship Education To Meet Industry Needs
Discussing multiple aspects of education, right from increasing Learner Centric Education to Female Education to Innovation, the Education Minister said the state government has initiated the "Business Blaster scheme" in government schools which will now impart "Entrepreneurship Education" from the next academic session to prepare the students to meet the needs of the industry.
Shedding light on the efforts of the Punjab government in the education sector, he said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led government is opening 117 schools of eminence from 9th-12th standard.
He added that the Mann government recently dispatched a batch of government school principals to Singapore to get international teaching training and the second batch would be sent to Singapore on 4 March.
"We are also coordinating with IIM Nagpur and Ahmedabad for teacher training," he added.
While exhorting the investors to invest in the education sector, the Cabinet Minister said that we are keen to open more universities and schools in the state.
Educationist professor Jaspal Singh Sandhu, Vice Chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, highlighted the favourable environment for investment in Punjab, saying that at present the state has a 25:1 teacher-students ratio and special attention is paid to teaching Mathematics and languages in the education system of Punjab.
He also said that the state is the best in the country in terms of teaching mathematics and language.
He said that Guru Nanak Dev University has been given A++ grade by NAAC, the university grading organisation of the country, which enabled the university to start any foreign campus, even without the nod of the Government of India.
Another panelist, Dr Atul Khosla, Founder, Shoolini University, said, "We should open the gates of educational institutions for every student so that students can further create employment opportunities with their innovative ideas."
Dr Sandeep Kaura, Chancellor, Lamrin Tech Skill University, said that Lamrin University, the first such university in the country is being run in partnership with the world famous company IBM, imparting education to the students as per global requirements. He said that their aim is to provide skilled work force to the entire world.
'Punjab's Universities Exceeding Expectations'
Addressing the session, Professor Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT Ropar, said that IIT Ropar has been worldwide acknowledged for producing the best engineers in a very short span of time and has surpassed the other reputed educational institutes of the country.
Striking emotional chords with the state of Punjab, Professor Ahuja said that he had worked in Sweden for 30 years and on returning to India, he had the opportunity to head four reputed IITs of the country, but being a Punjabi, he chose the newly established IIT Ropar.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)