To enhance the performance of girl students in board exams, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today asked the state education department to prepare a comprehensive plan within a fortnight to strengthen and upgrade infrastructure in government girl schools.
He said the "spectacular performance" of girls in matric and class XII board exams was a testimony to the fact that they were excelling in the field of education.
Presiding over a meeting with education department officers here, Badal emphasised that parent of every girl child wanted best quality education for their ward for which upgrading infrastructure of government schools in the state is the need of the hour.
If girl students from rural areas were encouraged for taking science subjects in government schools, by upgrading school infrastructure, the results would be far better, the Chief Minister said.
Stressing that upgradation of school infrastructure must be done in a phased manner, Badal said these schools must be equipped with proper rooms, ultra modern laboratories, furniture, besides toilet facilities for girls.
He said 168 secondary-level schools must be upgraded in the first phase, which he hoped would encourage girl students to take up science subjects.
To improve standard of the schools, the Chief Minister asked the officials to personally monitor the working of the schools at least once a week. "This would also help the supervising authorities to acquaint themselves about the problems of the schools," he said.
Badal also underscored the need for introducing vocational education for students of class 9 to 12 for better skilled manpower in the state.
State Education Minister Daljeet Singh Cheema informed the Chief Minister that the initiative to open schools for meritorious but poor students, and providing them with post-matric scholarships has yielded positive results.
"Encouraged by these initiatives, 8,615 students have scored 80 per cent or more marks in matric exam in the current year as compared to 4,700 students in the last year," he said.
