Deemed varsities to set up and adopt Adarsh Schools in Punjab

Chandigarh, Jan 30 (PTI) Deemed universities andprivate engineering colleges in Punjab today expressed keeninterest to set up and adopt Adarsh schools so as to helpeducate poor students, education department officials said.

Representatives of various universities andengineering colleges met with state''s deputy chief ministerSukhbir Singh Badal and each one of them offered to set up aminimum of 10 Adarsh schools that will be commissioned by June2011, they said.

The representatives sought Badal''s help in allotmentof construction sites who in turn asked education secretary toput a pre-condition that they would operationalise five Adarshschools within one year of getting license and another fivewithin two years before granting licenses, officials said.

"It was imperative for deemed universities to becomeactive partner for achieving the basic goal of "education forall," Badal said in the meeting.

Giving the progress of ongoing work of Adarsh Schools,Krishan Kumar Director General School Education informed inthe meeting that out of the 61 alloted sites, 31 AdarshSchools would be operational by June 2011 whereas another 30would be operational by October 2011.

The education secretary informed in the meeting that16 applications were pending for deemed universities and oneChitkara university has recently been granted the status ofdeemed university.