JALANDHAR: Punjab education minister Pargat Singh is banking on school education reforms actually pushed by an IAS officer in his ongoing debate with Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
The 1997-batch IAS officer pushed for reforms during the course of two postings, spread over two governments and seven-and-a-half years.Though Pargat took charge of the post just two months ago, he is locked in a hot debate with Sisodia on the condition of government schools in the border state and the national capital, with the focus being on who is doing better.
In both the phases of reforms in Punjab, IAS officer Krishan Kumar was at the centre. On both occasions, he was backed by political will. Kumar was director general (school education) from late 2007 to February 2011 during the then SAD-BJP government. At the time, the then education minister, Upinderjit Kaur, who herself has been a professor of economics at Punjabi University in Patiala, backed the reforms till her tenure ended in February 2011.
He was shifted out soon after late Sewa Singh Sekhwan became education minister.
The second phase of reforms started when Capt Amarinder Singh returned as Punjab chief minister in 2017. He brought back Krishan Kumar in the education department as secretary. Amarinder protected Kumar, as not all in the ruling party were happy with political interference coming to an end and transparency increasing in transfers and postings. As Kumar is known as a hard taskmaster, several shirkers had to pull up their socks and this made him unpopular in some sections. It was during the second phase of reforms that Punjab rose from the 22nd national rank to the first on the central government’s Performance Grade Index — a tool used to provide insights on the status of school education in states and UTs.
After Charanjit Singh Channi became CM and Pargat took charge as education minister, Kumar was on October 4 this year shifted from the post of education secretary to secretary of higher education department, where challenges had piled up over the past 20 years. Pargat had gone on record, saying that while things had already been streamlined in school education, now they needed to push reforms in higher education. He mentioned there were issues like making Punjab students employable and helping them in placements.
In the first phase, his focus remained on taking full benefit of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan, enhancing learning abilities of children, and programmes like Parho Punjab. Computer education in schools was also given a push. In the second phase, a major push was given to improve infrastructure and amenities. A smart school policy was put into action. Smart class rooms were also provided. Principals and teachers anchored projects at the school level, and several local and NRI philanthropists pitched in.
AAP leaders, their data fake: Pargat
CHANDIGARH: Continuing his attack on Aam Aadmi Party, Punjab education minister Pargat Singh accused AAP leaders of being ‘fake’ and releasing ‘fake figures’ to mislead people.
The minister “hoped” that the list released by Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia pertaining to locations of 250 schools was the correct one. Pargat said he thinks that Sisodia was in so much hurry to respond that he did not even read what he (the Punjab minister) had written.
He said he had categorically said that they would compare the parameters of the national performance grading index 2021. Pargat said that Sisodia might be reluctant to discuss these points, so he was requesting Kejriwal to give the correct list. Let us decide once for all who is “real” and who is “fake aam aadmi”, he added.
