3 more schools to come up in Punjab

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today approved the setting up of three more schools at Sangrur, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur districts for meritorious students.
A sum of Rs 30 crore each will be spent on these schools to provide free quality education and hostel facilities for all brilliant students of the government schools, who had scored 80 per cent or above marks in the matriculation examinations.
This decision was taken by Badal during a meeting to review the progress of 'Meritorious Schools' here today.
While finalising the design and layout of the upcoming schools, the Chief Minister said these schools will be established on the pattern of already existing seven such 'Meritorious Schools' at Mohali, Patiala, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Talwara (Hoshiarpur).

These schools were not only imparting academic education but also providing coaching to students for the competition exams, communication skills so as to compete on par with their peers from public and convent schools, he said.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema informed the Chief Minister that there was a huge increase in the number of students seeking admission in these meritorious schools, which was evident from the fact that nearly 8,400 students from various government schools across the state were eligible this year against 3,500 of last year.
He also told Badal that 3,150 students had been admitted in seven meritorious schools, of which 1,950 were girls and 1,200 boys.