Punjab Cabinet Minister Mr. Aman Arora has launched a special initiative to further promote school education in the Sunam constituency, under which school bags will be provided to 19,886 students studying in 129 government schools in the constituency. In the first phase, school bags were distributed to 5,710 girl students from Classes 6 to 12. The programme was organised at Shaheed S. Bhagwan Singh Government Smart School (Girls) in Longowal. On the occasion, Mr. Arora’s wife, Mrs. Sabina Arora, was also present with him.
Mr. Aman Arora said that the initiative is being undertaken by his family through the ‘Babu Bhagwan Das Arora Foundation’. He said that all the remaining students in the constituency would also be provided school bags in the coming days.
The Cabinet Minister said that providing children from economically weaker and needy families with basic facilities related to education is the collective responsibility of society. He said the objective of the initiative is not only to provide convenience to students but also to create enthusiasm and confidence among them towards education.
To encourage students to work harder in their studies, meritorious students from the Sunam constituency who have succeeded in national-level competitive examinations such as NEET and JEE were specially honoured.
He said that 13 students from the constituency have succeeded in NEET/JEE, including eight girls. In addition, students who secured first, second and third positions in their respective classes were also honoured with certificates and medals.
The Cabinet Minister said that the daughters of Punjab are continuously achieving outstanding results in the field of education. He said girls have demonstrated their talent in various fields, including medical, non-medical, defence and civil services. He said the achievements of daughters are a matter of pride for the entire society and that providing them equal opportunities is the need of the hour.
On this occasion, responding to a question from the media regarding fee hikes by private schools, Mr. Arora said that the Punjab government has taken legal steps to provide relief to parents from arbitrary fee collection.
He said that under the rules, no private school can increase fees by more than 5 per cent. If any school collects fees beyond the prescribed limit, necessary action will be taken according to the rules, and steps will also be taken to ensure the refund of the excess amount collected.
He said that the state government’s objective is to prevent the commercialisation of education and protect parents from unnecessary financial burdens.
Mr. Arora said that the state government is continuously undertaking reforms in the education sector and is paying special attention to providing students of government schools with quality education as well as essential facilities.
“Our objective is to ensure that no child is deprived of education for financial reasons. Along with providing better education and essential facilities to students of government schools, encouraging them for their achievements is our priority. Today, students of Punjab’s government schools are performing excellently at the national level, which is a matter of pride for us.”
Mr. Aman Arora said that irrespective of the stream or trade a student belongs to, he will always stand with every student and remain committed to working towards their bright future. The government’s objective is to strengthen the foundation of every child’s bright future by providing opportunities for quality education.
Deputy Commissioner Mrs. Poonamdeep Kaur, District Police Chief Dr. Ravjot Grewal, District Education Officer Mrs. Tarwinder Kaur, officials from various departments, dignitaries, a large number of students, parents and local residents were present on the occasion.
