"Schools and Institutions belonging to private sector plays a critical role in the implementation of New Educational Policy, 2022 announced by Government of India as private sector schools accounts for 26% of the total number of schools in India" said Banwarilal Purohit, Governor Punjab and UT Administrator.
He was speaking during the inauguration ceremony of 2nd FAP National Awards constituted by Federation of Private Schools and Associations of Punjab at the campus of Chandigarh University. Kultar Singh Sandhwa, Speaker Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chancellor Chandigarh University and Dr. Jagjit Singh Dhuri, President FAP were also present on the occasion.
A total of 230 awards were given in the Best School National Award Category, while 135 principals were honoured in the best Principal Award Category on the first day of the FAP National Awards 2022.
While delivering his address, Governor Punjab said, "The contribution of private schools in improving the GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) is very important and cannot be undermined. More than 39% of the total students are studying in private schools.
And hence private schools have to play a major role in order to realise the ambition of achieving the 100% enrolment of the students, so that the gift of education should reach to every child in the country". Banwarilal Purohit further added that, "A good system of education should be able to satisfy their insatiable hunger for knowledge.
Education has been the pivot of India’s development since ancient times. India has been a supporter of knowledge and it was our ancestors who built the world’s best universities like Nalanda, Takshila and established the largest libraries hundreds of years ago.
The Governor emphasized on the responsibility of schools and teachers and said, "Education Institutions have a tremendous responsibility towards inculcating in the young minds a sense of values, discipline, dedication and commitment to the nation.
A robust and quality-oriented education system is the force multiplier that shall transform India into one of the leading nations of the world". He further added that, "Classroom teaching must be ably supplemented with active participation in field activities, social awareness and community service initiatives.
There is a dire need to inculcate the spirit of service in students from a young age. Leaving nobody behind spirit of the New National Education Policy be borne in mind, as this is the time for ‘Sabka Prayas’ for a developed India".
Governor Punjab appealed to the private schools management and teachers to work on imparting education for the differently abled students by erecting special infrastructure and adding new teaching aids for such students.
While delivering his address, Kultar Singh Sandhwa, Speaker Punjab Vidhan Sabha said “Private sector is playing an important role in improving the quality of education and therefore it is necessary to honour the excellence in school education in the private sector.
In our Sikh culture, teachers have been given the same respect as that of God in the society. And therefore, it is necessary that teachers should play their role as Gurus, giving the right direction to the students. It is our duty that today’s students are connected to the rich culture, history, and mother language.
Therefore, the role of a teacher becomes more important when we see today, the menace of violence, drugs, and unemployment. The teachers have to hand hold every student, so that the level of their life can be enhanced, and a bright future can be ensured”.
Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chancellor Chandigarh University offered the services of Chandigarh University for upskilling, higher education, research and training of the teachers belonging to private schools.
He said “Chandigarh University will offer specialised training programmes, free of cost for the upgradation of the school teachers, so that their skills can be enhanced and match the global standards”.
Dr. Jagjit Singh Dhuri, President FAP said, “FAP National Awards 2022, Second Edition is an attempt to honour to recognize the unique contribution of teachers in the country and to honor those teachers who through their commitment have not only improved the quality of school education but also enriched the lives of their students”.
The schools who were awarded today included Delhi Public School, Amritsar, St. Solider Elite Convent School, Amritsar and Guru Nanak Public School, Ludhiana in the Best School with Digital Teaching Infrastructure while Silver Oaks School Bathinda and The Oxford School of Education bagged the Best School Infrastructure Category.
Delhi Public School Khanna and Shining Star School Amritsar won the Best School in Innovative Teaching Practices category while Partap Worl School Pathankot and Silver Oaks School Bathinda won the Best School with Excellent Sports Infrastructure.
Brainsters School Gurdaspur, Akal Galaxy Convent School Jalandhar, CT Public School Jalandhar and Sri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary School Sultanpur Lodhi won the Best School in Clean & Hygiene category while Bhai Roopchand Senior Secondary Public School Bathinda, Seth Hukumchand S B Public Senior School Jalandhar, Amrit Indo-Canadian Academey Ludhiana and Aanad Senior Secondary School Ludhiana won in the Best School Eco-Friendly School. Holy Heart School Amritsar and Dashmesh Modern School Faridkot won in the Best Academic Practices School category.
Dynamic Principal Award were given to Dr. Sunita Singh, Shri Naryana Central School, Ahmedabad Gujarat and Ms. Harjeet Kaur of Davindra International Public School Amritsar.