‘Have fun’, CM tells 50 students going on foreign tour

“Have fun on the tour,” Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu told 50 students as they embarked on a 10-day exposure tour of Singapore and Cambodia. It’s the first time students of government schools have been sent on a foreign exposure trip from the state. Understandably, the students and their parents were delighted.

“I had never thought that I would be sent on a foreign trip by the government. I am extremely happy and looking forward to making memories for life on the trip,” said a girl student from Chamba. The students will explore historical landmarks and gain insights into cultural heritage, architecture, science and technological advancements in both the countries.

For the tour, 20 students each have been picked from Class XI and Class XII on the basis of their performance in the Class X board examination. In the remaining 10 spots, the students, who excelled in sports and cultural activities, were accommodated. Incidentally, most of the students picked for the tour were visiting even Shimla for the first time and only a few have been to Delhi.

While interacting with the students, the Chief Minister and Education Minister Rohit Thakur revealed that they got a chance to go abroad when they had entered their forties. “Children are the future of the country. Their dreams, education and knowledge would contribute to making India a strong and developed nation. This journey is not just a tour but a valuable opportunity to learn and develop a broader global perspective,” said Sukhu.

Reiterating that the government had taken several measures to improve the quality of education in the state, Thakur said no effort was being spared to bring government schools at par with good private schools. “The state had not been performing well in national surveys like National Achievement Survey and ASER. In just two years since our government came to power, our performance has improved significantly. Our students did extremely well in the recently released ASER report. I am sure we will see a big improvement in the soon to be released NAS survey as well,” said Thakur.

He further said that during the BJP’s tenure, 60 per cent of the education budget remained unutilized, whereas the present state government had successfully utilised over 95 per cent of the budget within two years.

Rajesh Sharma, Project Director, Samagra Shiksha, which has sponsored the trip, said major educational reforms like strengthening of infrastructure of educational institutions, establishment of smart classrooms, appointment of teachers and improvement in the Pupil-Teacher ratio are improving the educational scenario in the state. Education Minister Rohit Thakur will accompany the students on the tour.