Punjab’s ‘transformative’ education model showcased at UNESCO Forum

CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: Representing India at the UNESCO Forum on the Futures of Education, Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains recently unveiled the state’s groundbreaking approach to educational transformation, stressing education as the fundamental solution to global challenges. Addressing the gathering during the international conference at Suwon Convention center, in South Korea’s Gyeonggi-do city, Bains said that the Punjab government has embarked on an ambitious infrastructure development mission, focusing on creating robust educational ecosystems, which includes constructing thousands of new classrooms, erecting boundary walls for school security, providing bus services to students, installing Wi-Fi in schools and deploying security guards to ensure student safety.

“These comprehensive measures have been placed to create a secure and technologically enabled learning environment,” he said, adding that Punjab’s educational strategy is an unprecedented focus on teacher empowerment and global learning. He said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government has introduced innovative school concepts that go beyond traditional educational frameworks. “Schools of Eminence” focus on professional training, “Schools of Applied Learning” stress vocational skills and the pioneering “Schools of Happiness” represent a unique child-psychology-based learning approach designed to create joyful educational experiences.