Punjab cabinet to provide 2.15 lakh smartphones to Class 12 students

Punjab state government has allocated a budget of Rs 100 crore for the school education department for the year 2021-22. Last year, as many as 1,75,443 students studying in Class 12 of government schools received mobile phones.

The Punjab government has decided to give smartphones to 2.15 lakh students of Class 12^th from the current academic session. The objective is to facilitate seamless e-learning in government schools under the ‘Punjab Smart Connect Scheme’, reads the official statement.

The state government has allotted a budget of Rs 100 crore to the school education department for the scheme. As many as 1,75,443 regular students of class 12 in government schools have already been given mobile phones last year.

The statement said that the smartphones were being given to those promoted to class 12 this year after the government realised the benefit of imparting online education remotely to the students through the distributed smartphones, particularly in the adverse pandemic situation last year. The scheme is extended to the students to be admitted in PSEB 12^th 2021-22.

The procurement shall be carried out through Punjab Infotech, under the Industries & Commerce Department. The mobile phones to be distributed under the scheme will have various smart features such as touch screen, camera and pre-loaded government applications such as e-Sewa App with e-content related to class 12 as approved by the School Education department.

Meanwhile, Punjab Board has cancelled the PSEB 10^th exams 2021 due to rising coronavirus cases in the state and postponed the PSEB 12^th exams 2021. The new exam schedule will be announced in the first week of June after reviewing the situation.

Read More:

• Check PSEB 12^th date sheet 2021 here
• Download PSEB 12^th question papers here