Punjab cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu handed over smart phones to Class-12 students of government schools in the third and final phase of the “Punjab Smart Connect Scheme” at Bachat Bhawan on Thursday .
Five students each from four schools- Government Senior Secondary School, Jagraon Bridge, Government Senior Secondary School, Kasabad, Government Senior Secondary School, Engine Shed, and Government Senior Secondary School, Ambedkar Nagar, received the phones.
Punjab Youth Development Board chairperson Sukhwinder Singh Bindra, Ludhiana Improvement Trust chairman Raman Balasubramaniam, deputy commissioner (DC) Varinder Kumar Sharma and ADC (development) Sandeep Kumar were present on the occasion.
He said that with the distribution of 4,944 smartphones in the last phase, a total of 16,553 Class-12 students of government schools in Ludhiana district will have benefited under the scheme.
He said that the smartphones will provide global connectivity and empower the financially-challenged students who could not afford them. He said that in the current situation, they have assumed greater importance, as they have become a necessity to continue education.
Ashu said that he wanted Punjab’s students to be abreast with the latest technology, which they can use effectively for their education.
{{/usCountry}}Ashu said that he wanted Punjab’s students to be abreast with the latest technology, which they can use effectively for their education.
{{/usCountry}}Gone are the days of chalks and boards, he said, adding that the government schools, which have seen a major transformation over the past couple of years, need to be supported through technological initiatives by the state government.
In the first phase, 2498 smart phones were given to students, 11,676 in the second and 4,977 in the last phase.