The Punjab government has proposed the transformation of 100 primary government schools into ‘schools of happiness’ and 100 government senior secondary schools into ‘schools of brilliance.’ Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced an outlay of ₹16,987 crore for the education sector, accounting for around 11.5 percent of the total estimated expenditure for the state in the next fiscal year.
Additionally, Cheema mentioned plans to upgrade 118 government schools into ‘schools of eminence,’ with 14 schools already underway. A budget of ₹100 crore has been set aside for this purpose in FY25. Moreover, 100 government senior secondary schools are slated for transformation into ‘schools of brilliance,’ with an initial allocation of ₹10 crore.
These initiatives aim to enhance education quality and elevate rural schools into centers of learning for students from Class 6 to 12, with a provision of ₹10 crore in FY25. The government also intends to establish ‘schools of applied learning’ to promote skilling, with an initial provision of ₹10 crore in FY25.
Cheema highlighted various achievements, including the regularization of 12,316 teachers, recruitment of 9,518 teachers, skill upgradation of principals and headmasters, and improvement of security measures in schools, among others.
Furthermore, the government proposed ‘Mission Samrath’ to impart essential skills to primary and upper primary students, with an allocation of ₹10 crore in FY 2024-25. In the medical education and research sector, a budgetary outlay of ₹1,133 crore was proposed for developmental activities in FY 2024-25.
The government also earmarked ₹40 crore for the development of research-related and other infrastructure in the university, recognizing its pivotal role. To promote sports and youth services, plans are underway to establish 1,000 sports nurseries for approximately 60,000 sportspersons aged between 6 to 17 years, with an initial outlay of ₹50 crore in FY 2024-25. Additionally, ₹34 crore has been allocated for Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Punjab Sports University to promote sports education.
