Chandigarh, April 4:
In a pioneering move to empower government school students, Punjab has taken a lead across the country to introduce one-of-its-kind “School Mentorship Program” wherein top brass bureaucrats are being roped in to inspire and guide young minds to aim high in life, announced S. Harjot Singh Bains, School Education Minister, Punjab.
Addressing the media here at Punjab Bhawan today, S. Harjot Singh Bains said that under this ambitious program, the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government has invited IAS, IPS, IFS and other civil service officers to mentor rural government schools to revitalising public education and nurturing young minds for excelling in life. A notification has also been issued today for implementation of the program.
“Behind every successful child is someone who once believed in them. Through this program, our most accomplished officers will become mentors to our most underserved schools. It is a chance to go beyond administrative duties, and truly transform lives,” said S. Harjot Singh Bains.
Highlighting the program, the Education Minister said that the top bureaucrats can voluntarily adopt one government school for mentorship. Mentorship is envisioned not as an administrative role but as a deeply humane and inspiring relationship.
He said that officers will engage with students, teachers, and principals to motivate students to dream big and pursue ambitious goals, besides, supporting teachers in adopting innovative pedagogy and leveraging their experience and networks to bring improvements in school infrastructure, resources, and exposure opportunities.
S. Harjot Singh Bains said that officers will be encouraged to mentor schools located in remote, rural, or challenging settings, and once assigned, they would nurture the mentorship for at least five years, ensuring long-term engagement, bonding and impact. The Officers would continue to mentor their schools irrespective of their transfers and postings, he added.
“Civil service officers bring with them a wealth of experience, exposure to governance, and a demonstrated track record of excellence,” he said, while adding that their journeys can inspire students to aim for institutions such as IITs, AIIMS, NDA, and the UPSC, while their networks can help schools access resources, partnerships, and new learning opportunities.
Urging the bureaucrats to adopt government schools, S. Harjot Singh Bains, “A school in Mansa, a village in Fazilka, or a border town in Tarn Taran—every child there has dreams, but often lacks direction. Your mentorship can provide that direction. Through a single session, a scholarship reference, or a university visit, you could transform someone’s future.”
He said that mentor officers will be frequently visiting, and collaborating with their schools and facilitating students’ career counselling, exposure visits, teachers’ training on innovative pedagogies, increasing parental participation in school, piloting innovative ideas, and improving the learning environment of the schools. The entire approach will be outcome oriented, he added.
Meanwhile, outstanding contributions will be acknowledged at state-level education events to honour the efforts of mentor officers. Interested officers can adopt a school by filling the Google Form (link:https://forms.gle/V4kcHjjVfsomdJz9A) by April 20, 2025, he added.
