Now, admission to Punjab govt schools just a click away

In a first, parents will be able to enrol their wards in any government school in the state from the comfort of their homes.

The Punjab education department also plans to roll out a toll-free number to address any queries related to the admission process. (HT File Photo)

Starting from February 9, for academic session 2024-25, the Punjab education department will activate an admission link on the education department’s portal:

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“Now, parents won’t have to visit schools for their children’s admission. With this admission link, parents can easily apply for admission or register for the next class from home. This will streamline the entire admission process,” said Punjab education minister Harjot Bains.

The education department also plans to roll out a toll-free number to address any queries related to the admission process.

There are around 12,880 primary, 2,670 middle, 1,740 high and 1,972 senior secondary schools in Punjab.

Enrolment targets set for schools

The education department has also set enrolment targets for every school for the upcoming academic session. The enrolments at pre-primary schools should be up by 10% from the existing student strength, while those at primary and secondary schools should rise by 5%.

“We have already formed an admission committee at every level to oversee the entire admission process. Incentives will be given to teachers and school heads who perform better in enhancing enrolments,” said a senior official from the education department.

Admission process starting two months in advance

This year, the Punjab education department decided to advance the admission process by two months to give competition to private schools.

Earlier, the admission process for government schools would begin after board exams were over — as late as end of March, while most private schools completed it by the end of February. Consequently, the enrolment drives by the education department did not reap the desired results, said officials.

“Private schools have already started their admission process. So this year, we have also decided to start it in February, much ahead of the usual time. We are hopeful that this will aid uptick in enrolments at government schools,” said Bains.