7 of 9 calligraphy toppers from govt schools

Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Gurdaspur, December 13

The Education Department’s flagship programme, Padho Punjab, Padhao Punjab is paying off if the results of the recently held Punjabi language state-level calligraphy contest results are any indication.

Seven of the top nine winners are from government schools, all of whom belong to the lower strata of society. This development, officials claim, has come as a much-needed respite for the beleaguered department which has been in the news for wrong reasons, including teachers’ agitation and their large-scale shifting.

Nearly 8,000 students from private schools and 7,000 from government ones had taken part in the contest.

Krishan Kumar, Secretary (Education), said: “The results prove that the government schoolchildren are no less competent than their private school counterparts. I term the achievement as a major one.”

He said a project was initiated in which eight senior lecturers were asked to hold workshops for Punjabi primary and high schoolteachers. These teachers were then asked to train students in their respective schools.

These eight resource persons will now be holding one-day training for senior lecturers at Fatehgarh Sahib tomorrow. They are Pushpinder Kaur, Manjit Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Jagdeep Singh, Lakhwinder Kaur, Jagtar Singh Sokhi, Harjinder Singh and Lakhvir Singh.

Davinder Singh Boha, state coordinator of Padho Punjab, Padho Punjab, said: “The results should act as an eye opener for parents, who consider private schools superior to government ones. The winners are not produced overnight. The scholars have been working hard for the last six months.”

BELONG TO LOWER STRATA OF SOCIETY

• Seven of the top nine winners are from government schools, all of whom belong to the lower strata of society. This development, officials claim, has come as a much-needed respite for the beleaguered department which has been in the news for wrong reasons, including teachers’ agitation and their large-scale shifting.
• Nearly 8,000 students from private schools and 7,000 from government ones had taken part in the contest.
• Krishan Kumar, Secretary (Education), said: “The results prove that the government schoolchildren are no less competent than their private school counterparts. I term the achievement as a major one.”