Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu while addressing the annual function at Pinegrove School in Dharampur, Solan today said that the main objective of education is to develop the capabilities of students and make them responsible citizens. The Chief Minister said that the state government is making changes in the education system to ensure the all-round development of students at all levels.
He said that in the financial year 2024-25, the education budget in the state has been increased by 17 percent as compared to the previous year. To prepare the students for the challenges of the future, education through English medium has been started in government schools from the first class itself and with a view to their overall development, Rajiv Gandhi Government Day-Boarding Schools are being opened in every assembly constituency.
Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the state government is making efforts to make the students well educated and sensitive. To make the students sensitive towards environment and water conservation, it has been decided to install rain water harvesting system and grid connected ‘roof top plants’ in day boarding schools.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government has launched the ambitious Dr. Y.S. Parmar Student Loan Scheme of Rs. 200 crore to provide better education to meritorious students from the poor section of the society. The State Government has decided that under this scheme, eligible students desirous of pursuing education in professional courses in educational institutions abroad will be provided the benefit of the scheme.
Libraries are being established at the Gram Panchayat level in the State to provide better education and quality reading material to students at the village level. 493 libraries are being established in the first phase. He said that 850 educational institutions of the State are being developed as excellent educational institutions.
The Chief Minister said that in order to provide better self-employment and employment to the youth as per the future demand, courses like Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Machine Learning and Drone Training are being started in technical educational institutions. He said that employment fairs and campus interviews are also being organized in all educational institutions so that the youth can get employment as per their ability. He said that along with education, the state government is also paying special attention to the health of the youth.
Mukhyamantri Bal Poshtik Aahar Yojana has been started to provide nutritious food to the students at the school level. 15,181 children up to class VIII of the state are benefiting from this scheme. The Chief Minister said that the state government is bearing the education and other expenses of 5 thousand destitute children under the Chief Minister Sukhashray Yojana. He said that the state government is making efforts to provide quality education to all the youth of the state near their homes.
He said that the clean and peaceful environment of Himachal Pradesh is conducive for education and the state government is making efforts to make various educational institutions established in the state better education centres of the country. He praised the Pinegrove School management for giving emphasis on the overall development of students. Earlier, the Chief Minister visited the art and handloom and photography exhibition set up by the students of the school and praised the talent of the students.
On this occasion, the attractive parade, gymnastics and band display presented by the school students were the centre of attraction for everyone. Earlier, the Chief Minister was given a warm welcome by the local residents on his arrival at Dharampur. Kasauli MLA Vinod Sultanpuri, Nalagarh MLA Hardeep Bawa, Chief Minister’s political advisor Sunil Sharma, former Army Chief of the country General Manoj Pandey, Baghat Bank Chairman Arun Sharma, Joginder Sahakari Bank Chairman Mukesh Sharma.
Municipal Corporation Solan Mayor Usha Sharma, APMC Chairman Roshan Thakur, State Congress General Secretaries Surendra Sethi and Ramesh Thakur, District Congress President Shiv Kumar, Principal Secretary Horticulture and Agriculture C. Palrasu, Chief Minister’s Secretary Rakesh Kanwar, Deputy Commissioner Solan Manmohan Sharma, Police Superintendent Gaurav Singh, School Captain A.J. Singh, other dignitaries, teachers, students and parents were present on the occasion.
