Schools of Eminence: Punjab sets target, adds 30 more schools to upgrade list

With Punjab affairs in charge and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia showing a keen interest in the education sector, the Punjab government seems set to accelerate its efforts to renovate the Schools of Eminence in the state.

The school education department has decided to renovate and upgrade the infrastructure and facilities of 30 government senior secondary schools, selected for transformation into Schools of Eminence, during the current fiscal year under its flagship school education programme. “Out of 118 Schools of Eminence, 14 have been renovated and inaugurated. The renovation work of 26 senior secondary schools is either complete or nearing completion. Most of these schools will be inaugurated in the coming few weeks,” education minister Harjot Singh Bains said.

The minister said that an additional 30 Schools of Eminence would be renovated and their infrastructure upgraded during the 2025-26 financial year. “We aim to complete most of the work on these 30 schools within a year. The remaining 48 schools will be taken up in phases, including half a dozen greenfield schools,” he said. The state government has allocated a budget of ₹100 crore for the school upgrade programme this year.

A school education department official said the outlay plans, drawings and estimates for all these schools have been prepared. The department may have to change their plans with regard to 5-6 SOEs due to the non-availability of land and related issues, he said.

The 40 schools that have already been renovated or are nearing completion, include four government senior secondary schools in Amritsar district, seven in Ludhiana, three each in Bathinda, Sangrur and Rupnagar, and two in SAS Nagar and Fatehgarh Sahib. The state government had made a budget allocation of ₹168 crore between 2022-23 and 2024-25 to upgrade these schools.

The AAP government had finalised the list of government senior secondary schools to be upgraded as ‘Schools of Eminence’ in January 2023 with Ludhiana having the highest number of 16 schools followed by Patiala (10), Jalandhar (9), Amritsar, Sangrur (8 each), Bathinda, SAS Nagar (6 each), Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar and Tarn Taran (5 each).

The selection criteria included a minimum necessary infrastructure and sufficient space for future expansion, adequate student enrolment, and strategic location in urban and semi-urban areas to ensure easy access for students. Admissions to these schools are offered in the 9th and 11th grades through an entrance examination. Special coaching is provided to prepare students for competitive exams such as JEE, NEET and CLAT. As per the scheme document, all Schools of Eminence will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities such as smart classrooms with projectors, LEDs, smartboards with speakers, and subject-wise e-content repository and interactive corners.

School mentorship programme

The cabinet also gave the nod to implement a school mentorship programme in the state, thereby stipulating that the IAS/IPS officers adopt rural schools across the state and mentor the students to excel in life.

This pilot project will be introduced in 80 Schools of Eminence (SOE) of the state and every officer will be allotted the school for five years irrespective of their place of positing.

The spokesperson said these officers will work as mentors and not as bosses. This work will be voluntary service, and interested officers will have to perform it along with their already allocated duties.