PUNJAB CM ORDERS PSEB CHAIRMAN TO RESIGN, PINNING RESPONSIBILITY FOR POOR CLASS X RESULTS

SENDS STRONG MESSAGE THAT NOBODY WOULD BE ALLOWED TO PLAY WITH CHILDREN’S FUTURE
Chandigarh, May 25, 2017: Pinning the responsibility for the shockingly poor Class X Board exam results on the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday ordered the department chairman to resign, paving the way for a major overhauling of the school education system in the state.
The Chief Minister’s directive was communicated to PSEB chairman Balbir Singh Dhol by Education Minister, Aruna Chaudhry, who obtained the resignation, which was immediately accepted, an official spokesperson disclosed.
The interim charge of the PSEB has been handed over to ACS (School Education) and a Search Committee has been ordered to be set up to find a new chairperson in the next 30 days, the spokesperson added. The Committee will consist of Chief Secretary, Punjab, as chairman, and ACS (School Education) & Vice-Chancellor (Punjab University, Chandigarh) as members.
The shake-up in PSEB came two days after the Chief Minister sought a report from the Education Minister on the atrociously poor Class X results in the state. The Chief Minister, the spokesperson further said, has sent out a strong message that nobody would be allowed to play with the future of the children of Punjab.
Pointing out that Captain Amarinder had taken serious view of the poor Class X Board exam results, the spokesperson said the Chief Minister has made it clear that he would not tolerate any further laxity in the matter of improving upgrading the school education system.
Highly disturbed at the deteriorating standards of education in Punjab, the Chief Minister has ordered all concerned officials and departments to create a detailed roadmap for bringing the education system in the state on track. He has also directed Education Minister Aruna Choudhary to prepare a blueprint for raising the standards of education in the state.
In the wake of the appalling results, the Chief Minister had also directed the Finance Department to make available all necessary funds to the Education Department for undertaking urgent measures to improve the quality of education and infrastructure in government schools, according to an official spokesperson.
Besides education quality, the Chief Minister had directed immediate and proactive steps for infrastructure upgradation, and provision of basic amenities and facilities in all government schools in order to prepare students to meet the high standards of the competitive educational environment prevailing in the country today.