School education minister Vijay Inder Singla said that soon Punjab government will convert 1,377 more schools into smart schools and ₹357 crore will be spent on their digitization.
He informed that till now, 7,823 schools have been converted into smart schools and out of total 19,130 government schools in Punjab, 41% are smart schools.
Singla said that out of 1,377 schools, 817 are in rural areas and 560 are in urban areas of the state where the education department has planned to spend ₹209.77 crore and ₹147.56 crore, respectively.
He said that out of total, 605 are primary schools, 80 are middle, 159 are high schools and remaining 533 are senior secondary schools.
He said that the upgradation process of these schools will be completed within this financial year and schools will be equipped with additional classrooms, integrated science labs, libraries, dual desks, separate toilets for boys and girls, potable drinking water facility, higher boundary walls, green boards, projectors, dining halls for mid-day-meal and colour coding. He said that special repair and maintenance budget will also be given to these schools for required works. The cabinet minister appealed to corporate companies, NGOs, community leaders, Panchayats, persons and school staff to contribute to this cause.
