Industrialists to upgrade school education system in Punjab

Chandigarh, July 30 (UNI) Decks are cleared for a major overhaul of school education infrastructure in Punjab, as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today successfully persuaded some of the top captains of business and industry in the country to set up 100 Adarsh Schools in various parts of the state.

The total private investment in this venture would run to over Rs 300 crore, in addition to subsequent revenue costs of about Rs 65 crore annually.

Among the leading business houses which have agreed to pitch in with huge investments in the education segment in the state are Bharti Airtel, Gujarat Ambujas, the Oswals, MGF, DLF, Unitech, Ranbaxy, Trident, Hero Honda, Apollo, Fortis, Steel Strips and the Nahar Group.

These leading industrial and business houses announced their decision to this effect at the end of a marathon meeting with senior functionaries of the Punjab government at the Taj Hotel in New Delhi this evening. The meeting had been called at the initiative of the SAD Working president and Member of Parliament Sukhbir Singh Badal.

While Hero Honda, the Bhartis and Ambujas each agreed to open 10 modern schools, the Bhartis, in addition to 10 Adarsh Schools, would also adopt at least 250 primary schools in the remote areas of the state. Similarly, each of the other groups announced their commitment to set up schools varying between 10 and 15 in numbers.

Gujarat Ambujas would not only adopt 30 primary schools in the state for modern educational infrastructure but also invest in three Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) where the students would be helped to acquire advanced skills in definite areas of technology, to prepare a dedicated army of trained workers for different sectors of industry.

The Chief Minister had repeatedly announced his government's intention of completely revamping the primary and secondary school educational scene with public-private participation (PPP).

The government had already declared that it would open 141 Adarsh schools, one in each block of the state. These schools would cater only to the poor students on merit-cum-means basis.

The government is also in touch with some of the leading educational trusts and institutions in the country to help upgrade the entire process of early education.

UNI