The pre-primary wings of Punjab Government schools have witnessed an unprecedented hike — indicating a reverse trend in the education sector.

Claiming this, the Chief Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said that the state government gave priority to rejuvenate the education being imparted in the government schools so that the students studying in these schools can compete with their convent educated peers. The concerted efforts of the State Government have borne fruits and the enrolment of students in these schools has witnessed a new high, he added.

“This can be gauged well from the fact that the enrollment in pre-primary (I) wing has enhanced by 16.3 per cent and that in pre-primary (II) wing has witnessed a hike of 9.9 per cent. This is testimony to the fact that the state government schools have been turned into harbingers of quality education and numbers of students from private schools are now taking admission in them after leaving their schools,” said Mann.

He said that this trend will continue in the coming days and the day is not far away when the students from these schools will leave a mark in every field. 

Attributing 16.3 per cent increase in pre-primary and primary enrollments in the state government schools to the “education revolution brought by the Chief Minister”, the Education Minister Harjot Bains said this marks a historic achievement as it is the highest-ever recorded in this category for the first time among all states of the country.

The Minister said that in the academic year 2022-2023, a total of 1.70 lakh students were enrolled in pre-primary and primary classes in government schools of the state. “However, this year we are proud to share that we have surpassed this milestone by crossing the mark of 1.98 lakh enrollments,” said Bains, adding that it signifies the growing popularity and trust in the state's government-run education system.

Notably, the border district of Tarn Taran has seen an exceptional increase of 25 percent in pre-primary enrollments — breaking all previous records, indicating the positive impact of educational initiatives in the region.

The Minister informed that over 75,500 new students have been enrolled in primary classes throughout Punjab, which demonstrates the growing interest in government schools and reflects the dedication of the administration to provide quality education to the young minds of the state.

Bains shared that Tarn Taran topped in the enrollment campaign, and as per the final list, 25.8 per cent increase was registered in Tarn Taran district, 24.7 per cent in Mansa district, 23 per cent in Pathankot, 21.9 per cent in Hoshiarpur, 20.5 per cent in Kapurthala, 20.3 per cent in Ferozepur, 19.7 per cent in Ludhiana and Fazilka, 19.5 per cent in Moga, 19.1 per cent in Sri Muktsar, 17.6 per cent in Jalandhar, 14.9 per cent in Gurdaspur, 13.9 per cent in Sangrur, 12.9 per cent in SBS Nagar, 12.4 per cent in Patiala, 12.3 per cent in SAS Nagar, 12.1 per cent in Malerkotla, 11.4 per cent in Amritsar, 11.1 per cent in Rupnagar, 10.4 per cent in Fatehgarh Sahib, 8.5 per cent in Bathinda, 8.3 per cent in Barnala, while 6.4 per cent increase was registered in Faridkot district.

Similarly, in primary enrollment campaign, Ludhiana remained first in the ranking. As per the percentage, Ludhiana registered 12.1 per cent increase, 8.2 per cent in SAS Nagar (Mohali), 8.1 per cent in Hoshiarpur, seven per cent in Jalandhar, 6.9 per cent in Fatehgarh Sahib, 5.5 per cent in Malerkotla, 4.5 per cent in Kapurthala, 3.9 per cent in SBS Nagar, 3.8 per cent in Patiala, 3.4 per cent in Rupnagar, 2.8 per cent in Pathankot and Moga, 1.9 per cent in Barnala and Ferozepur, 1.8 per cent in Mansa, 1.5 per cent in Sri Muktsar Sahib, 0.7 per cent in Amritsar, 0.6 per cent in Gurdaspur and Fazilka, 0.3 per cent in Tarn Taran, 0.2 per cent in Bathinda and 0.1 per cent increase was registered in Sangrur district.

Congratulating all the teachers and officers involved in this campaign, Bains expressed hope that next year this campaign will get more response.

Notably, the Education Minister has also issued show cause notices to the six “low performer” District Education Officers.