Punjab Newsline | Mohali
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Teachers’ Day said his government has transformed the state’s government schools over the past four years, improving infrastructure, staffing and the quality of education.
Speaking at a Teachers’ Day felicitation ceremony organised by the Punjab Government at Vikas Bhawan in Sector 62, Mohali, Mann honoured 50 teachers for their contribution to education.
Mann said Punjab was ranked 27th in 2021, before his government came to power in 2022. He claimed that significant changes have been brought to government schools since then.
“Today, every child in Punjab studies while sitting on a proper bench,” Mann said, highlighting improvements in school infrastructure. He added that work had been undertaken to improve school bathrooms and boundary walls, while clerical and teaching staff were recruited and teachers were provided training.
Addressing the teachers, Mann said, “I am myself the son of a teacher and I know the difficulties and challenges teachers face in their lives. I have seen them at home.”
Chief Minister also spoke about reducing the administrative burden on headmasters. He recalled that earlier, headmasters were responsible for almost everything in schools, from broken furniture and toilets to attendance registers, leave applications and fee-waiver requests.
Mann said he had discussed the issue with the Education Minister and stressed the need to give headmasters more time to focus on academics.
He also highlighted the introduction of Parent-Teacher Meetings (PTMs) in government schools. According to Mann, such meetings were earlier common in private schools but not in government institutions.
He said the initiative was launched to help parents understand who was teaching their children and to enable teachers to know more about the children and their family environment.
Mann claimed that 24 lakh parents attended the previous PTM, describing the participation as a major achievement.
Urging students to focus on learning rather than relying on cheating, Mann said, “How far can you go with the support of cheating? You may pass one exam, but you will get stuck in another.”
Recalling his own school days, Mann fondly remembered his teachers, including Rameshwar Das and his English teachers Ram and Kasturi Lal. He said that even after becoming an artist, he continued to meet his former teachers and touch their feet as a mark of respect.
Comparing teachers to gardeners, Mann said that when a tree begins to bear fruit, the happiest person is not necessarily the one who eats the fruit but the gardener who planted and nurtured it.
“My teachers and professors are still proud that the child they taught has become the Chief Minister,” Mann said, adding that teachers play the role of gardeners in shaping the future of their students.
He said he did not believe that any child could truly forget a teacher who had contributed to their life and success.
