Punjab: Free shuttle bus service for girl students of gov't school to keep dropout rate in check

Government school-going girls in Punjab can now avail shuttle bus service, announced Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday, September 5 in order to check the dropout rate among girl students. 

Mann was addressing a gathering on the occasion of Teachers' Day in Punjab, according to an official release, as stated in a report by PTI.  The chief minister said it is a basic duty of the government to provide qualitative education to each and every child, while taking care of their basic needs such as transportation, diet, infrastructure and others. 

"In the absence of transportation facilities, the school dropout rate is much higher among girls, so we have decided to grant this facility to every girl child of the State to counter this phenomenon vigorously,” Mann said, as per PTI. 

Announcing to utilise services of teachers only for teaching duties, the chief minister said they will not be enlisted for any non-teaching work. Additionally, describing digital education as the need of the hour, he said it is a must to compete on the global level. It has been decided to send teachers to Oxford, Harvard and other renowned universities to acquire new teaching skills, on the lines of such a decision taken by the Delhi government, as per PTI.  

Mann said being the son of a teacher, he knows the basic needs, problems and plight of the teachers. The chief minister also shared his experiences with his teachers and paid respect to them. Urging the teachers to shun the path of agitation and inviting them for deliberations, he said the policies adopted during previous dispensations, created unwanted hindrances but special attention is being given to education and health as these are the core areas of concern of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. 

Mann further announced to develop Sri Anandpur Sahib and Nangal as eco-tourism destinations. Earlier, School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said the state government was determined to develop 100 'Schools of Eminence' and the department is working tirelessly to translate this announcement on-ground as soon as possible.