The North News
Chandigarh/Khanna, April 7
Punjab’s education sector is in the midst of a “historic transformation,” Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said on Monday, as he inaugurated infrastructure projects worth Rs 79.85 lakh across six government schools in Khanna. The minister, speaking at the launch, said education formed the “foundation of society,” and praised the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government for what he described as an unprecedented investment in public schooling. In the recently announced 2025–26 state budget, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s administration earmarked ₹17,975 crore for education—a move Sond said would usher in modern, state-of-the-art infrastructure across government schools.
Detailing the allocations, Sond said several upgrades had already been completed. These included a ₹19 lakh boundary wall and ₹1 lakh for washroom upgrades at Government Middle School, Rahon. At Government Senior Secondary School, Lalheri, two large classrooms and two science labs were constructed at a cost of ₹15.02 lakh, alongside ₹1.5 lakh for new girls’ toilets.
Other schools also received targeted investments: Government Primary School in Malkpur village received ₹1.66 lakh for new washrooms; Government Middle School in Ratanheri added three classrooms at a cost of ₹18.5 lakh; and in Goh village, both the middle and primary schools had boundary walls built for ₹4.75 lakh and ₹2 lakh, respectively, with the former also receiving ₹1.4 lakh for washrooms.
According to Sond, the state’s sustained focus on public education is already yielding results. “Our government schools are now outperforming private convent institutions and have become the first choice for many parents,” he said.
The minister also noted a broader employment push within the education sector. The government has regularised 12,500 temporary teaching positions and initiated recruitment for another 20,000 posts. Across all sectors, he added, 56,000 government jobs have been provided under the Mann administration—an average of 18,000 annually.
Beyond academics, Sond pointed to growing success in sports and cultural activities, crediting newly launched Schools of Eminence as key pillars of support for Punjab’s youth. “We’re not just building walls and classrooms; we are shaping futures,” he said.
He concluded by signalling further developments on the horizon, stating that the current phase of inaugurations would continue across Punjab in the days to come, marking what he called a “new era of development.”
