No funds for school sports, Rs 4.5 crore for Suba event

Amaninder Pal 

Tribune News Service 

Chandigarh, September 28 

Even as various quarters have questioned the logic behind the state government’s decision to celebrate 50 years of the creation of Punjabi Suba, the state Education Department, the main organiser, has sought Rs 4.5 crore from the state government to organise the month-long celebrations.

Interestingly, the state government doesn’t give a single penny when it comes to organising school games and cultural competitions in schools every year. 

To organise such events, each school collects sports fund and amalgamated fund from all students studying in class IX and above in each school. 

Sources said that as the department didn’t have sufficient funds to organise the Punjabi Suba celebrations on a grand scale, it recently sought the budget from the state Finance Department.

According to senior 

officials, the budget has been approved by the finance authorities.

In a meeting held on August 16, the Education Department decided to organise a series of cultural events in schools beginning from block level to inter-district competitions in October. 

From October 3, each district, except SAS Nagar, will host an inter-district competition in 21 categories.

These will include traditional Punjabi games, traditional Punjabi dresses, folk songs, one-act plays, folk dances, folk orchestras and poem recitation competitions. Students will compete in primary, middle and senior secondary categories.

 Education Minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema couldn’t be contacted. Director General School Education PK Aggarwal expressed inability to comment on the issue.