Smriti’s perfect 10 to schools for meritorious

[Jaswinder Singh Baidwan]

Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani today said the Centre would explore the feasibility to adopt Punjab’s concept of schools for meritorious at the national level.
She said it was a noble task to provide quality education to bright students hailing from economically weaker sections.
This model has shown Centre a way that would benefit poor but meritorious students, Irani said, while asking Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to send a team of experts so that their advice could be incorporated in the new education policy to replicate it at the national level.
She said: “Badal’s dedication towards raising the standard of education in the state has hardly any match in the country due to which Punjab is being immensely benefited.”
Smriti today laid the foundation stone of the campus of the Central University of Punjab here. In his address, Badal said the state was blessed with students, who despite belonging to economically weaker strata of society, were excellent in their studies. The government had opened these schools with an aim to tapping their potential to the full, he said, adding that this model was the need of the hour to ensure that students from economically weaker sections were benefited.
Expresses concern over quality of education
Smriti expressed concern over the shortage of teaching faculty across the country. “A majority of students who can manage funds want to travel abroad for higher education. Ask them the reason, they would say the quality of education and infrastructure is pittance in our country. I went to a school for meritorious children this morning. When I asked students if they wanted to be teachers, only a few raised their hands,” she said.
“To deal with the problem, we have asked the department concerned to compile a list of academically excellent resource personnel from fields of administration, engineering, medical sciences and others areas. We will also hire people from abroad to improve the standard of education in institutions across the country,” Smriti said.
She said all central university campuses would be wifi-enabled and have playgrounds, canteens and hostels. She asked the Central University to adopt five villages in its vicinity to allow the flow of knowledge.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said in a short span, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given several key projects to the state, including Rs700 crore for developing Amritsar as heritage city. Union Cabinet Minister of Food Processing Harsimrat Badal mentioned a long list of projects that Punjab had managed from the Centre, including the IIT, IIM and AIIMS.
About the campus
The university campus will be built on 10 lakh square feet. The 500-acre university will start functioning within 18 months. It will have accommodation for 18,000 students and 3,000 faculty members.
(With inputs from PTI)
On the sidelines
Minister leaves CM speechless
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said Smriti Irani was in fact a Punjabi, so he expected much more from her for the state. The HRD Minister then walked up to the stage and said: “I am like your daughter so you should give me a gift”. The Senior Badal was speechless.
All praise for Badal
Addressing a gathering at a school in Bathinda, Smriti said: “Badal’s dedication towards raising the standard of education in the state can’t be matched. He has contributed a lot to Punjab.”
Linemen face police ire
At least 14 unemployed linemen, including five women, got up and raised slogans against the state government when Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal began his speech. The protesters were dragged out and taken away in a van. They were seeking jobs for linemen, posts for which were advertised in 2011. The jobless linemen have been protesting at most of the functions held by the state government for quite some time.