Panjab Owes USD 50.6M to its School Education Board

During the Panjab Vidhan Sabha (State Legislative Assembly) session, Panjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains revealed that the state government owes the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) about USD 50.6M, partly from building rents, book publication costs, and sports funds. Some dues have been cleared, including USD 10.5M in 2022–23, USD 22.2M in 2023–24, and USD 11.4M in 2024–25, though Bains stressed that pending payments must be expedited to improve PSEB’s finances. In 2024, the BJP-led union govt. withheld funds from Panjab for Prime Minister's Schools for Rising India schools upgrade programme as the AAP govt. had opted out of the programme. After the union govt. withheld funds, the state govt. agreed to participate in the programme and funds were released. Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed private unaided schools in Panjab to reserve 25% of Class 1 seats for children from weaker sections. The court was responding to a petition challenging the state’s rule that initially required Economically Weaker Section students to seek seats in govt. schools, holding that such restrictions conflict with the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. In Chandigarh, the Administrator and Panjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria distributed appointment letters to 40 newly recruited special educators marking the first regular appointments of their kind since 2019. The ceremony, part of Samavesh Utsav (Inclusive Festival), showcased efforts to promote inclusive education, with Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India providing aid to 75 students and awarding special athletes. Separately, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has contributed USD 15.3K toward school and college fees for underprivileged Sikligar and Vanjara Sikh children in Raipur and other parts of Chhattisgarh. Representatives led by Bhai Rajinder Singh Mehta visited multiple schools to verify records and hand over fees, reinforcing the committee’s commitment to helping these children become self-reliant through quality learning.