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Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Mercury up, teachers call for early school hours
With the temperature soaring and the health department issuing advisory for precautionary measures, government schoolteachers across the district have urged the education authorities to either revise school timings or announce early summer holidays, especially for primary students who are vulnerable to the heatwave. As per educators, over the past week, students have been falling ill due to the extreme weather, often leaving early with complaints of dizziness, exhaustion and other heat-related symptoms. The India Meteorological Department recorded a blazing 42° Celsius on Saturday. Dharamjeet Singh Dhillon, district president of the Lecturer Cadre Union, said, 'It's extremely tough for primary children to cope with heat. We request the department to declare holidays for them. For senior students, school hours must be reduced at least. Many of them travel from distant villages on bicycles.' On May 22, civil surgeon Ramandeep Kaur had issued a public health advisory, warning that the heatwave poses major risks for children, elderly, pregnant women and those with chronic conditions. The advisory highlighted the dangers of heat exhaustion, cramps and even heatstroke if precautions are not taken. Jagjit Singh Maan, district president of the Government Teachers' Union and head teacher at Government Primary School, Mangli Uchi, said, 'We've had to send students home early almost every day this week due to heat-related issues. Without electricity, classrooms become suffocating. If holidays aren't possible yet, schools should start early — from 7 am to noon — instead of the current timing (8 am to 2 pm).' Meanwhile, education minister Harjot Singh Bains said no final decision has been taken regarding the start of summer vacations. District education officer (elementary) Ravinder Kaur also confirmed that there is currently no plan to revise school timings.
Hindustan Times
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Got no funds for Sikhya Kranti events, rue teachers
Even as the government continues its 'Punjab Sikhya Kranti' campaign by launching a wave of infrastructural projects in government schools, teachers are still waiting to be reimbursed for expenses they personally bore to hold inauguration ceremonies. Since April 7, schools across the state have been hosting inauguration ceremonies for development works under the state's ambitious 54-day education initiative. The campaign aims to cover around 25,000 renovation and repair projects worth ₹2,000 crore across 12,000 government schools. These projects are to be inaugurated by May 31, with an estimated cost of ₹20 crore for the inauguration events alone. But behind the scenes, the burden of organising these ceremonies — including costs for tents, plaques, and other arrangements — has fallen on the shoulders of school staff. Teachers say they have not only devoted time and effort to these preparations but have also paid from their own pockets, expecting that the funds would soon be released by the government. Daljit Singh Samrala, district president of the Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), said, 'Teachers have not just spent days preparing for these inaugurations, but they've also used their own money. Even though the inaugurations began on April 7, the funds have still not been released. It's hard this way for schools to maintain financial records.' 'The money should ideally be released before any such event so that the staff doesn't have to take on this financial load,' said one teacher, who requested not to be named. Under the current plan, senior secondary schools were sanctioned ₹20,000, secondary schools ₹10,000 and primary schools just ₹5,000 for the inauguration events. This uneven allocation has sparked frustration among primary school heads, who argue that the scale of preparation has been similar across all schools. Jagjit Singh Mann, district president of the Government Teachers' Union (GTU), called the fund allocation 'discriminatory.' He added, 'The extra expenses will ultimately be paid by the teachers themselves.' Davinder Singh Guru, general secretary of the Lecturer Cadre Union, highlighted another issue. 'Not all vendors give GST bills. So, when we're asked to submit official invoices to the department, it becomes a challenge. If the money is provided in advance, these problems won't arise.' District education officer (elementary) Ravinder Kaur responded to the concerns, saying, 'We have been asked to submit the total budget, which we have done. The money will be released soon.' ₹57L projects inaugurated in 6 schools Punjab housing and urban development minister Hardeep Singh Mundian on Saturday inaugurated infrastructure projects worth ₹57.63 lakh in six government primary schools under the Sahnewal constituency. These schools — located in Mangarh, Katani Kalan, Barwala, Bhaini Sahib, Raian and Katani Khurd — are part of the ongoing 'Sikhya Kranti' mission. Speaking at the event, Mundian noted that around 28 lakh students study in Punjab's 20,000 government schools, many of which lacked proper facilities. He highlighted that ₹2,000 crore is being spent under this initiative to upgrade schools with smart classrooms, modern labs, libraries, furniture, clean drinking water, boundary walls and better buildings.
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Weeks on, government school students without books
Nearly a month into the new academic session, students at government schools are still waiting for their textbooks. Despite a requirement of nearly 21 lakh books, only around 15 lakhs have been made available so far, leaving many children without essential learning material. Teachers and principals have raised the alarm, fearing the delay may affect student learning, classroom progress and even enrollments. Jagjit Singh Mann, district president of the Government Teachers' Union (GTU), said, 'There are still entire subjects for which books haven't arrived. Teachers keep making repeated rounds to get the books. This should be sorted at the start of the session with block-wise counts.' Charanjeet Kaur Ahuja, principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Cemetery Road, said Class 1 students had got only one subject's book so far. A teacher from School of Eminence, Model Town, also pointed out that Punjabi textbooks for senior secondary classes are yet to reach schools. Although some schools maintain book banks, teachers say these are no longer enough. 'Students expect fresh books at the start of the year. But many pass-outs don't return their books, affecting studies,' said a teacher. Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) superintendent Manish Kumar said 14.5 lakh books had been distributed and the pending books would reach the schools by the end of May. Regarding the delay, he said the books were earlier sent to Khanna and then brought to Ludhiana before being distributed. 'Now, the system has changed. Books are stored directly in Ludhiana and then delivered to different blocks,' he said. According to officials, the delay in distribution was triggered by a dispute between the Punjabi Sahit Akademi and the PSEB over rental terms and maintenance of the board's regional office at Punjabi Bhawan. Due to this, books were earlier stored at a government senior secondary school in Khanna. The issue has been resolved, and the books are now arriving at Punjabi Bhawan, officials added.
Hindustan Times
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Tech issues and inauguration events burden teachers amid enrolment season
While the Punjab government's 'Sikhya Kranti' campaign continues to gain momentum, a critical aspect of the academic cycle—student enrolment—appears to be suffering. Government school teachers have expressed concern that, despite being in a pivotal period for admissions, the process has been significantly disrupted. Traditionally, teachers actively engage in door-to-door outreach to encourage enrolment, a task that becomes even more urgent as schools are assigned specific enrolment targets by the administration. However, with the current focus of educators have shifted towards preparations for inauguration ceremonies related to infrastructural developments under the Sikhya Kranti initiative, teachers find themselves overwhelmed with administrative duties. As a result, they are unable to dedicate time and resources to student outreach. Charanjeet Kaur Ahuja, principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Cemetery Road, highlighted the mounting frustration among staff. 'Technical glitches in the e-portal system have added to our challenges. Previously, the online platform's 'fetch' option made enrolment smoother and quicker, but now it's not functioning. At a time when we need it the most, we're left without a vital tool,' she said. Ahuja also noted that a significant number of students are awaiting admission, making the situation even more urgent. Dharamjeet Singh Dhillon, state finance secretary of the Lecturer Cadre Union, pointed to another factor affecting the enrolment process. 'Teachers have been occupied with preparations for inaugurations, which has clearly impacted enrolments. However, unlike earlier times when teachers were pressured to meet unrealistic targets leading to bogus admissions, this time they are being more careful.' Echoing similar sentiments, Jagjit Singh Mann, district president of the Government Teachers' Union (GTU), criticised the timing of the official events. 'We are in peak enrolment season, and holding inaugurations right now is a mistake. Later, when targets aren't met, the blame will fall on teachers,' he warned. Amid the growing concerns, Vishal Kumar, MIS coordinator, offered a bit of reassurance. 'An alternative method has been provided for student registration on the e-portal. Teachers facing problems can also reach out to the MIS Wing for support,' he said. Meanwhile, district education officer (elementary), Ravinder Kaur, announced that a mega enrolment campaign will be launched on Friday with an ambitious target of enrolling 10,000 children in a single day across the district.
