Two more batches of Punjab school principals sent to Singapore for training

CHANDIGARH: Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains on Saturday flagged off two more batches of 60 school principals to Singapore for a training programme. Addressing a gathering, Bains highlighted the state's comprehensive training programmes both within India and abroad to augment the teachers' professional capabilities and introduce them to global best practices in school education.

Since February, the state government has successfully trained four batches of principals -- with each batch comprising 30 to 36 participants, the minister said in a statement here. These training programmes were conducted in collaboration with institutes such as PAI, Singapore, and NIEI, Singapore. The curriculum focused on imparting contemporary administrative and educational skills, including innovative teaching methods and mentorship, to the teachers, he said.

With the latest batches sent to Singapore, the count rose to 200 school principals and 100 headmasters, who have been imparted training of international repute, Bains said. Earlier, 140 principals have benefited from foreign training programmes in Singapore, while 100 headmasters have undergone training at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. These teachers are now better equipped to lead their institutions towards excellence and provide a conducive learning environment for the students, he added.

60 principals selected

The minister underscored the importance of the current training batches, which are the fifth and sixth groups of 60 principals selected through a transparent online portal based purely on merit. He asserted that these educators will receive specialised training at the NIEI Singapore, focusing on effective leadership skills, community involvement for school development and maintaining school discipline. Bains said Punjab is actively working towards providing international exposure to its primary school teachers as well. He added that the primary school teachers will soon embark on an educational journey to Finland, renowned for its world-class education system.