The Punjab Cabinet approved a proposal to implement a mentorship programme wherein IAS, IFS, IRS, and IPS officers would adopt state-run schools and mentor students for excelling in life.
The pilot project will be introduced in 80 schools of eminence and as many officers will be allotted the school for a period of five years irrespective of their place of posting.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “The officers will be adopting these schools for five years each. They will have to keep visiting the schools, share their experience with the students, have a bond of love and affection with them. They can visit the schools once a week, twice a week, once a month. They will have to mentor the students of a school for five years, irrespective of their place of posting. They would be allowed to communicate with the students through video-conferencing also”.
A government statement said this move will further strengthen the atmosphere of education through conversation with the students and teachers. The officers will prepare the students for competitive exams and ensure training to the teachers for upgrading their skills. It further said these officers will act as a catalyst for mustering resources for development of these schools. These officers will work as mentors and not as bosses, he said, adding this work will be voluntary service and interested officers will have to perform it along with their already allocated duties.
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