Punjab Minister Harjot Singh Bains at UNESCO Forum on the Futures of Education in Korea.
| Photo Credit: X@harjotbains

At UNESCO’s international forum on — ‘Futures of Education-2024’, Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Tuesday (December 3, 2024) said Punjab’s educational strategy has put an unprecedented focus on teacher empowerment and global learning to achieve educational transformation.

Pointing out that education was the fundamental solution to global challenges, Mr. Bains said the Punjab government has embarked on an ambitious infrastructure development mission, focusing on creating robust educational ecosystems, which includes constructing thousands of new classrooms, erecting boundary walls for school security, providing bus services to students, installing Wi-Fi in schools and deploying security guards to ensure student safety.

He was addressing the gathering during the international conference at Suwon Convention Center in the city of Gyeonggi -do of the Republic of Korea.

“These comprehensive measures have been placed to create a secure and technologically enabled learning environment,” he said, according to a statement. He added that Punjab’s educational strategy is an unprecedented focus on teacher empowerment and global learning. “The state has initiated comprehensive teacher training programs, sending educators to premier global institutions. School principals have been trained at the Singapore Principals Academy, while elementary teachers have received specialized training in Finland’s renowned education model, bringing world-class pedagogical insights to Punjab’s schools,” he said.

He said that the Punjab government has introduced innovative school concepts that go beyond traditional educational frameworks. “The ‘Schools of Eminence’ focus on professional training, ‘Schools of Applied Learning’ stress on vocational skills and the ‘Schools of Happiness’ represent a unique child-psychology-based learning approach designed to create joyful educational experiences,” he said.

Mr. Bains said education is a comprehensive approach to addressing global challenges such as climate change, terrorism and social inequities. “The state government’s mission is unequivocal which ensures that no child is left behind and every child has access to quality education that prepares them for future challenges,” he added.