Bhagwant Mann government sets new benchmark by sending more than 500 teachers abroad and nationally

As a part of the commitment of the Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to upscale the skills of teachers of the state for imparting quality education to students in government schools the state government has sent more than 500 teachers to acquire training at Singapore, Finland and even in prestigious IIMs within country too.

“The single motive is to enable the students acquiring education in the government schools to compete with their convent-educated peers globally”, said the Chief Minister, while underlining the need for the teacher training program.

The Chief Minister said that the competence and ability of teachers and school heads directly reflect on the quality of learning of their students and the performance of their schools. He said that in this backdrop, the state government envisioned that the concept of exposure visits of school teachers and school heads to a foreign nation would create a systemic impact of cross-learning, high motivation and better teaching-learning processes in the educational institutes. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that for this purpose "International Education Affairs Cell (IEAC)" has been established in SCERT to provide international-level training to teachers, school heads, and school education administrators working at different levels in the Education Department of the State.

The Chief Minister said that the objective of the Cell is to take the education system to the next level by providing exposure and educational training to teachers, school heads, and school education administrators. He said that likewise trips have been organised in countries like Switzerland, Singapore, Finland and institutes like Harvard and Oxford on government expenses to apprise the teachers about best education practices prevalent in these countries. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that Punjab government has sent six batches of 202 principals/education officers for a five day Leadership Development Programme to Singapore.

Likewise, the Chief Minister said that a batch of 72 of the brightest primary teachers embarked on a journey to Finland for professional training on Friday. Similarly, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that three batches of 152 headmasters/ education officers were sent to IIM Ahmedabad to get state-of-the-art academic training.

He said that the motive is to ensure that students of the state get world-class education in Punjab thereby excelling in every field.

The Chief Minister said that these endeavors are solely aimed at reversing the trend of brain drain in the state and channeling the unbounded energy of youth in a positive direction. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the motive is to ensure that the comprehensive development of the youth is ensured in every field so that they can scale new heights in every field. He said that the youth of the state has a huge potential and can excel in any field if they are given the right direction adding that this training will act as a catalyst in this direction.

The Chief Minister said that during the training these teachers are equipped with modern teaching practices prevalent abroad. He said that after their return these teachers share the practices with students and their colleagues thereby ensuring that students get acquainted with the pattern of study on foreign shores. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this is a path-breaking initiative that is rejuvenating the entire education system of the state for the well-being of students.

The Chief Minister said that these teachers are acting as agents of change in the education sector in the prevalent times by ensuring quality education to students. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this out-of-the-box idea is bringing the much-needed qualitative change in the education system of the state by benefitting the students. He said that the state government will continue such efforts to ensure the well-being of the students and to give a boost to the education sector in the state.