EM HARJOT BAINS SLAMS OPPOSITION FOR PETTY POLITICS OVER EDUCATION REFORMS

April 11, 2025 punjabenews19

• Congress, SAD-BJP leaders should hang their heads in shame for failing to provide even toilets in 75 years

• Instead of owning their failures, opposition leaders are undermining Punjab Govt’s transformative reforms

• 8K schools lacked boundary walls, 3K had no toilets before CM Mann led govt took over, reveals Bains

Chandigarh, April 11:

Lashing out the opponents for engaging in petty politics over infrastructure development projects being inaugurated under “Sikhya Kranti” initiative in the state government schools, Punjab School Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains shamed Congress and SAD-BJP leaders for their decades-long neglect of government schools, where students were deprived of even basic facilities like toilets and boundary walls.

Addressing a press conference here at Punjab Bhawan, on Friday evening, S. Harjot Singh Bains stated that during his visits to government schools, some students and teachers informed him of the lack of basic facilities like toilets, boundary walls, and desks, forcing them to go outdoors to relieve themselves and the students had to sit on the ground. He attributed this situation to the previous regimes’ neglect of education.

“For 75 years, these parties looted Punjab while our children sat on floors and our daughters had to drop studies due to lack of toilets. Now, instead of repenting, they mock our efforts to rebuild the system,” said S Harjot Bains.

Revealing the shocking data of previous regimes, the Education Minister informed that before the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Government came to power in Punjab, there were no bathrooms in over 3000 schools and 8,000 government schools were without boundary walls and around three lakh students were sit on ground.

Inviting the media to come along with him to visit government schools to witness the transformation of education system, S. Harjot Bains said that Congress, SAD-BJP were not ashamed when our daughters had to leave the schools because of the lack of toilets. “Their (opposition leaders’) own children study in schools where even the bathrooms have air conditioning facilities and security is deployed outside the schools,” he said, while adding that they robbed the poors of Punjab for years and now they are making fun of the poor again. They stole from the poor and built big farmhouses, 5 & 7 star palaces, Punjab government gave clean bathrooms to the daughters and they are feeling ashamed.

He further said that they are jealous of the plaques because we did in three years what they couldn’t do in 75 years. These are not just nameplates or plaques, it is a reminder of the failure of Congress and Akali-BJP governments in Punjab. “We are committed to convert the state into ‘Parhda Punjab’,” he said.

He emphasised that the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, has been dedicated to providing all government schools with essential amenities include separate toilets for girls and boys, boundary walls, clean drinking water, high-speed Wi-Fi connections, and modern smart classrooms and furniture. These improvements have been implemented across all government schools in Punjab over the past three years.

S. Harjot Singh Bains highlighted that around 28 lakh students are currently receiving education in the state’s 20,000 government schools, while adding that over 12,000 government schools have undergone a significant transformation with an investment of Rs. 2000 crore under “Sikhya Kranti”.
He mentioned that the infrastructure development projects inaugurated today in 410 government schools across Punjab aim to encourage MLAs and officials to visit these schools, interact with students, and inspire them to achieve their goals.

Box:
HARJOT BAINS INAUGURATES PROJECTS WORTH OVER RS. 1.75-CR IN ANANDPUR SAHIB CONSTITUENCY

Sri Anandpur Sahib: Earlier, the Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains today inaugurated infrastructure projects worth over Rs.1.75 crore across 12 government schools in his assembly constituency Sri Anandpur Sahib. These projects include Rs. 4.4 lakh for Government Primary Smart School Bara Pind Lower, Rs. 6.02 lakh for classroom renovation at Government Primary School Hardoi Haripur, Rs. 3.80 lakh for boundary wall at Government Primary School Hardo Nirmoh Upper, Rs. 17.6 lakh for boundary wall at Government Primary School Atari, Rs. 70 lakh for holistic plan out of which Rs.35.32 lakh have been used for complete boundary wall, science lab, new classroom and room repairs at Government Senior Secondary School Atari, Rs. 40 lakh foundation stone for holistic plan at Government Primary School Pirthipur, Rs. 5.7 lakh foundation stone for basketball court at Government High School Pirthipur, Rs. 12.55 lakh for room renovation at Government Primary School Nirmohgarh, Rs. 3.8 lakh for boundary wall at Government Primary School Hardo Nirmoh Lower, Rs. 2.55 lakh for room renovation at Government Primary School Nau Lakha, Rs. 6.75 lakh for boundary wall at Government Middle School Nau Lakha and Rs. 2.55 lakh for repair and renovation at Government Primary School Dadhi.