Punjab government launches career portal for students

Chandigarh: Punjab Education Minister Pargat Singh on Monday unveiled a career portal aimed at providing professional guidance to students of schools and colleges of the state. One major reason behind the unemployment problem of Punjab is the inability to choose the right career option, the minister said at a function here.

If students are able to get adequate career guidance at the opportune time, they can work wonders in accordance with their capability, Singh said.

He said the portal would play a significant role in guiding students about various online courses, scholarships and vocations as part of a series of measures being undertaken by the education department. The minister added that 10 lakh students would now get the requisite information about career counselling, courses and scholarship sectors while sitting at home.

Recently, the Punjab Cabinet has approved an amendment in Punjab Learning of Punjabi and other languages Act, 2008 that makes Punjabi language as a compulsory subject for students of Classes 1 to 10 in all schools across the state.

A spokesman for the Chief Minister told the Times of India that any school that breaks the rule of the said Act will have to pay a penalty of Rs 50,000, Rs 1 lakh, and Rs 2 lakh if it does so for the first time, second time, and the third time respectively.

Meanwhile, the Punjab State Education Board (PSEB) informed that the government and private school students will have to pay fees for getting a hard copy of their passing certificate from school. Class 8 students will have to pay Rs 100, those of Classes 10,12 will be charged with Rs 300 for getting the hard copies of their board exam results.