Education Reforms in Punjab - A Story in Making!

It was less than 2 weeks to go for my MBA exams in 2003 and I was studying hard in a 10 x 6 feet room in Chandigarh. Preeti took me out for a break in the evening and we ended up in sector 22 where the then famous Satirist and Comedian Bhagwant Mann was coming.

Standing on the roof of the shops, he made us roll all over with his unique style. Little did we know at that time that a man who makes a living making fun of the system would one day wield the power to change the system himself.

How much impact will he be able to make, only time will tell but what we are witnessing today after over a year of his Chief Ministership is a genuine effort in making the change which we always hoped for.

Immediate Wins

Some of these changes were more or less no brainer and were straightforward. Any government who came to power would have done them like recruiting more teachers in pre-primary, elementary etc and opening up what the Government says - school of eminence. I am still not sure how these schools will be different from the Jawahar Navodaya or even the model schools. But these were simple to execute changes.

Learning from Delhi's implementation, the government knew the importance of engaging with the parents. It not only serves as a political tool for the government but also is a great ingredient for a child’s success. So they successfully implemented the parents teachers meeting across the state. The impact of these initiatives is not short term but if sustained, they will start bearing results.

A Change for the Good

What followed up was something which was quite unexpected and unreal. The Chief Minister went on to announce the Regularisation of over 95% Contractual Teachers across the state among the first big changes. Contractual Teachers are a very controversial subject across the world. But over the last few years, the struggle of contractual teachers in Punjab had clearly pointed out the policy flaws which no one bothered to fix.

With 12170 teachers regularised and their pay increased by 2X to 4X, the message seems to be very clear. This government is serious about its initiatives and has their head and heart at the right place. When Bhagwant Mann went on to the stage to make the announcement of these changes, he clearly said that the additional payout is not “Burden” on the state exchequer but a necessary investment in the Nation’s future. He has named the bill - The Nation Builder Act.

Changes which will revolutionise Education

I was still appreciating this change when Bhagwant Mann announced a pilot which is one of its kind in India. Every village in India does not have schools upto class 12th. This leads to a severe dropout in students especially in the girls. The government has announced a pilot covering 20000 students of which 12000 are girls who will be provided Bus service to schools and back.

There have been a lot of NRIs in Punjab who have been helping girls in their villages to study by providing them with cycles to go to schools. But the government picking this initiative will bring about a revolutionary social change for going via bus was also a status symbol in villages.

To top it up, the government has tied up with the IIMs for leadership training for their principals and the first batch of the Principals has gone to IIM Ahmedabad. 

What can we expect?

While all these initiatives should have a final impact on the learning outcomes, I am more excited to see the social change these initiatives are going to bring in. With Drugs, Gun culture and crime on the rise because of lack of opportunities and education, how these initiatives will change the social fabric of Punjab is a story in making.

Will the boys stop marrying girls so that the more educated girl can take them to Canada after clearing Toffel or IELTS? Will the boys of Punjab gain their self respect back? Will the girls become bold enough to move out of abusive relations? This is also a story in making and could be the real achievement of this government!

Fingers crossed and wishing Bhagwant Mann all the best!