Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the main objective of education is to develop the potential of students and make them responsible citizens. Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was addressing the annual function at Pinegrove School in Dharampur, Solan today.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government is making continuous changes in the education system to ensure the holistic 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 last year.
He said that to prepare the students for the challenges of the future, while education through English medium has been started in government schools from the first class, Rajiv Gandhi Government Day Boarding Schools are being opened in every assembly constituency with a view to the overall development of the students.
Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that our government is making concerted 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 Vidyarthi Rin Yojana of Rs. 200 crore to provide better education to the meritorious students of the poor section of the society. The State Government has decided that under this scheme, eligible students willing to pursue education in professional courses in educational institutions abroad will be provided the benefit of the scheme.
He said that libraries are being established at the Gram Panchayat level in the state to provide better education and quality reading material to the students at the village level. As many as 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.
Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that courses like Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Machine Learning and Drone Training are being started in technical educational institutions with the aim of providing better self-employment and employment to the youth as per the future demand. He said that employment fairs and campus interviews are also being organized in all educational institutions so that the youth can get employment according to their ability.
He said that along with education, the state government is also paying attention to the health of the youth. Mukhyamantri Bal Poshan Aahar Yojana has been started to provide nutritious food to the students at the school level. As many as 15,181 children of the state up to eighth class are benefitting from this scheme.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government is bearing the education and other expenses of five thousand orphan children under the Chief Minister Sukh Ashray Yojana. He said that the State Government is making efforts to provide quality education to all the youth of the state near their homes.
Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the peaceful environment of Himachal Pradesh is completely conducive to education and the State Government is making efforts to make various educational institutions established in the state as better education centers of the country. He appreciated the Pinegrove School management for emphasizing on the overall development of the students.
Earlier, the Chief Minister visited the art and handloom and photography exhibition set up by the students of the school and appreciated the talent of the students.On this occasion, the attractive parade, gymnastics and band display presented by the students of the school were the center of attraction for all. Earlier, the Chief Minister was given a grand welcome by the local residents on reaching Dharampur.
MLA of Kasauli Vinod Sultanpuri, MLA Nalagarh Hardeep Bawa, Chief Minister's Political Advisor Sunil Sharma, former Army Chief of the country General Manoj Pandey, Chairman of Baghat Bank Arun Sharma, Chairman of Jogindra Co-operative Bank Mukesh Sharma, Mayor of Municipal Corporation Solan Usha Sharma, Chairman APMC Roshan Thakur, State Congress General Secretary Surendra Sethi and Ramesh Thakur, District Congress President Shiv Kumar, Principal Secretary Horticulture and Agriculture C. Paulrasu, Secretary to Chief Minister 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.