The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, unveiled a substantial allocation of over Rs 10 crore for primary education in Punjab to establish ‘Schools of Happiness’. This announcement was made during the presentation of the state budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 in the Assembly on Tuesday.
The total budgetary outlay for education in Punjab for FY 2024-25 is pegged at Rs 16,987 crore, accounting for approximately 11.5% of the total budget expenditure. This marks a strategic shift in focus towards enhancing the infrastructure and quality of primary education, following last year’s emphasis on the ‘Schools of Eminence’ program aimed at elevating the education standards for classes 9 to 12.
The newly proposed ‘Schools of Happiness’ initiative is poised to address the critical infrastructure deficiencies in government-run primary schools across the state. Many of these institutions have been grappling with challenges such as dilapidated buildings, lack of proper furniture, and inadequate classrooms.
In addition to ‘Schools of Happiness’, the government plans to transform 100 government senior secondary schools into ‘Schools of Brilliance’, with an allocation of Rs 10 crore dedicated to this endeavour. These schools, catering to classes 6 to 12, will receive upgrades to provide students with well-ventilated classrooms, dedicated play areas, resource rooms, and activity corners.
However, the funding for the ongoing ‘Schools of Eminence’ project has been scaled back to Rs 100 crore this year, down from Rs 200 crore in the previous year. Despite the reduction, the state has already established fourteen Schools of Eminence.
The budget also highlights the government’s commitment to vocational education through the ‘School to Work’ program, which aims to equip schoolchildren with practical skills for livelihood generation. An initial Rs 10 crore has been allocated to set up hi-tech vocational labs in 40 schools as part of the program’s first phase.
Furthermore, the budget includes significant investments in higher education and medical infrastructure. Rs 1,425 crore has been allocated to support various state universities, with special provisions for research and infrastructure development at Punjab Agricultural University and hostel construction at Panjab University, Chandigarh. The state also plans to commence work on medical colleges in Mastuana Sahib, Sangrur, Kapurthala, Malerkotla, and Hoshiarpur, aiming to add 100 MBBS seats, along with a budgetary outlay of Rs 1,133 crore for medical education and research development activities.
