PATIALA: The Punjab Government, to be very precise, SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal understood to have directed the education department to ensure the presence of about 25,000 students during the India-Australia test match to be played at Mohali on Oct 17.

The promotion of cricket by state government is being done at the cost of other games including the national game Hockey for which meager funds are allocated. It is believed that Sukhbir Singh Badal is great fan of cricket. He had also joined hands with film actress Preity Zinta to promote her Punjab lions team for Twenty-20 cricket.

The Director General School Education (DGSE) of Punjab has written to all the deputy  commissioners of Punjab to provide transport to 500 students school from class 6 to 10 for viewing the India –Australia test match slated at Mohali from October 17.

Official sources said that on the invitation of Punjab cricket stadium association the DGSE held meeting with all the district education officers recently at Chandigarh and directed them to organized rural students to come to Mohali to watch match.

Many heads of schools who have attended the meeting called by the district education officers (DEO's) have reluctantly agreed to take students for the match. Sources in DEO offices told Punjabnewsline.com that there was no written order given to the schools heads regarding it and DEO told the heads to prepare the students at their own.  DGSE has directed all DEOs to bring 5,000 children to PCA daily from all over Punjab during the five day match.

DGSE has adopted the viewing match as the part of Sarb Sikha abhiyan and gave orders to DEOs to bring 5000 students from all over the Punjab, said sources. The heads of schools have refused to take girls along with them for Mohali, sources said.

The officiating district education officer Yash Paul Manvi however admitted that meeting was held today in this regard and said that DGSE has asked them to have maximum participation of rural students.

The decision of DGSE have irked many teachers and said that they have been attending weekly seminar as per Sarb Sikhay Abhiyan campaign and many other non teaching work  have also been assigned to the teachers. The conditions of studying to the school children have become worse as the staff is already deficient in the government schools.

Ranjeet Singh Mann, President of Government teachers association said that even though Punjab cricket association has invited students from all over the state and offer free tickets and the government has been running away from the responsibility of student's safety and security.  PCA will however provide free tickets and food to them.