CHANDIGARH, India : The Chandigarh Welfare Trust (CWT) and the Chandigarh administration will work jointly on continuous improvement in the school education sector of Chandigarh.
This was announced by the founder of Chandigarh Welfare Trust and Chancellor of Chandigarh University (CU), Satnam Singh Sandhu while speaking during the first-ever Chandigarh Schools Excellence Awards (CSEA) organized by CWT in association with CU at Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA) in Sector 26, Chandigarh. The awards were instituted to recognize and appreciate the efforts of educational institutions and faculty members and to introspect on ways to make Chandigarh attain a top position in the field of school education.
The event was held on Saturday at Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Sector 26, Chandigarh, and was attended by Punjab governor and UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit as the chief guest. While UT adviser Dharam Pal was the guest of honor, the attendees also included dignitaries CWT founder and Chancellor Chandigarh University Satnam Singh Sandhu, director school education, Harsuhinder Pal Singh Brar, and District Education Officer (DEO), Bindu Arora.
The first edition of the Chandigarh Schools Excellence Awards witnessed a huge response in which more than 200 schools from all over Chandigarh have participated. A total of 237 awards have been conferred under 21 categories, which include 4 categories of principals awards, 7 categories of teachers awards, and 10 categories of schools awards.
Speaking on the occasion, Satnam Singh Sandhu, said that Chandigarh has always been a model city in the country in the field of education. “The city has produced many distinguished personalities in varied fields, including two prime ministers, chief justices, etc because of the quality education. It is the only city in India where the level of education in government schools is at par with private schools,” said Satnam Singh Sandhu.
Regarding the latest results of classes 10 and 12 announced by CBSE on Friday, Satnam Singh Sandhu said that although Chandigarh has performed very well in the region, there are still some areas that need improvement. “The results have recorded a dip in the pass percentage in both class 10 and 12. According to the results announced by CBSE, the pass percentage of Class-12 dipped this year, compared to 2022. Similarly, the pass percentage of class 10 also declined this year,” said Satnam Singh Sandhu.
Further, Satnam Singh Sandhu said that Chandigarh currently ranks 2nd in the Performance Grading Index 2020-21 but the city was at the top spot in the country during 2017-18, 2018-19 in PGI Rankings. “Even though Chandigarh improved its scores from 912 to 927 in PGI Index 2020-21 but we slipped to 2nd position. Moreover, the score on some parameters in the PGI ranking can be improved to get back the first rank in PGI for Chandigarh, for which we will work with the UT administration. We must work on parameters such as Improving Access to Education, Offering Equity, and introducing Governance Processes which means using Digital Technology,” Satnam Singh Sandhu added.
Satnam Singh Sandhu, on the occasion, announced two new certificate courses for the school principals and teachers, to impart new-age skills of teaching-learning. While a leadership and training course will be run for principals, a teachers’ training certificate course for teachers. “The two courses will be offered by Chandigarh University free of cost to principals and teachers to improve their skills and impart new-age teaching-learning pedagogy,” said Satnam Singh Sandhu, adding that the Chandigarh University will also offer scholarships to school teachers of UT Chandigarh to pursue higher education, especially Ph.D. and research.
Punjab governor and UT administrator, Banwarilal Purohit, congratulated the Chandigarh Welfare Trust (CWT) for establishing Chandigarh School’s Excellence Awards, which he said will help in recognizing the best schools, teachers, and principals of UT Chandigarh. He also praised the CWT and CU for announcing the two certificate courses for the skill upgradation of city school teachers and principals.
Banwarilal Purohit also extended his warmest congratulations to all the award recipients and termed it the celebration of the remarkable achievements and unwavering dedication displayed by these outstanding individuals and educational institutions both from the public and private sectors of UT in Chandigarh.
Banwarilal Purohit, said, “We should be proud of our great culture. The value of education and its importance has always been valued in India since the time of Vedas. Respect for teachers is rooted in our rich culture. Education has been a vital part of our culture and society since ancient times with equality at its heart. From the start, our education system has been value-based.”
Meanwhile, UT adviser, Dharam Pal said that Education is a crucial factor for the growth of any nation. “Our nation has been making strides in developing infrastructure, research, and education. We are working to make India a preferred destination for investment and quality education is an integral part of this initiative. India has always been popular for providing quality education. Our education department is equipping itself to augment Bal Vatikas in the government schools that will certainly shape childhood care, grow digital skills, and build quality infrastructure. The use of technology is shaping the future of education. Recently we have upgraded the ICT facilities at 56 government schools and we have also set up 201 smart classrooms in schools.”
