The Punjab education minister Aruna Chaudhary said on Monday that the launching of pre-primary classes in state’s government schools is a boon for girl child in border areas.

Chaudhary was addressing the culmination of month long ‘Mashal March’ (march with the ceremonial torch), a move initiated by the state government with an aim to increase the number of enrolled students in government schools.

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She credited the Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh to strengthen the educational infrastructure while describing the education is the very foundation on which a strong edifice for the future is built.

During her address, the minister said that the march started from Fatehgarh Sahib on the 5 February, 2018, and passed through all the districts of the state concluding on Monday at Mohali.

The minister further said that the main aim of the march taken out under ‘Parho Punjab Parhao Punjab’ scheme was to exhort the parents to send their children for enrolment in the schools especially the girl child in border areas.

Terming education as the cornerstone of the prosperity, the minister termed this ‘Mashal March’ culmination as the beginning of a new journey to carry Punjab forward in the educational sphere. She also expressed strong hope that the day is not far off when the government schools of the state would act as role models for all to emulate.

Earlier, addressing the gathering of Block Primary Education Officers (BPEOs), District Education Officers (DEOs) and numerous school heads, the Secretary School Education, Punjab Krishan Kumar while welcoming the new Chairman of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Manohar Kant Kalohia appreciated the efforts put in by the teaching community for burning midnight-oil to ensure the grand success of the pre-primary initiative.

He also said that one of the main features of the scheme is also to enhance the learning capacity of the students. He also reiterated that the department would support the teaching community regarding providing of all necessary paraphernalia for advancement of state on educational parameters. On the occasion, Aruna Chaudhary and other higher officials also released the pre-primary kit material to be disbursed in the schools.