Punjab is trying hard to enroll students in its schools. For the first time, it has advertised in local newspapers of the facilities available in its schools - free medical check-ups, free books, free uniforms, mid-day meals and so on. Several schools have launched their separate publicity campaigns. Palli Jhiki Government Senior Secondary School in Nawanshahr ran ads on vehicles that read: Bring your child empty handed to school and after admission take free bag full of books and notebooks. It also indicated cash prizes for students topping their classes. Students who secure the first position in Classes 6 and 12 will get Rs 5,000, while children with 80 per cent and above from classes 10 to 12 will get Rs 1,000. [related-post] Many even tasked private commercial vehicle into carrying banners of their school. “We have received targets regarding student strength in our school. For the last two weeks, I have been visiting each house in the village and ask parents to send their children to our schools,” said a teacher from Jamsher village. In Lambra government school, teachers were told that they would have to meet target by April 30 — the day admissions end. Sources in the office of the Director General School Education said that district education officers of the state have been asked to enhance strength by at least 4,000 to 7,000 students. “We have been sending our teams to district to supervise efforts being made at the district-level,” said a senior officer in DGSE office. The move comes even as the government has been closing many and merging many others due to poor number of students. Punjab Education Minister Dr. Daljeet Singh Cheema said that, their government schools are now having large number of facilities with highly qualified teachers and students must avail such facilities. “We are taking special classes, there are very well maintained science labs now, and other free facilities in government school,” he said. WATCH INDIAN EXPRESS VIDEOS HERE
