On the eve of India’s 80th Independence Day, the Alumni of SCD Government College, Ludhiana, organised a virtual interaction on “Challenges Facing Punjab’s Education and Youth in General”, inviting members to deliberate on what Punjab should realistically expect to achieve before the country celebrates its next 81st Independence Day in 2027.
Initiating the discussion, Brij Bhushan Goyal, Organising Secretary of the Alumni Association, said that members who had acquired knowledge and experience over the years must remain seized of the issues confronting Punjab and should speak in the public domain in a constructive and responsible manner. He emphasised that such discussions should go beyond political considerations and focus on the welfare and future of Punjab, particularly its education system and youth.
Prof. P. K. Sharma, alumnus and educationist, stressed that education at every level—from primary and secondary education to higher education—along with healthcare, must receive the highest priority. He suggested setting up an appropriate regulatory mechanism to make education, particularly medical education, affordable by rationalising fee structures and bringing them closer to those of government-run institutions, so that students from economically weaker sections are not denied opportunities. He also called for filling vacant posts in schools, colleges and universities with permanent staff, instead of continuing money-saving stopgap arrangements. He further urged that extravagant expenditure on personal and partisan publicity be curtailed and the resources redirected towards genuine public welfare programmes in Punjab.
Senior teacher Narinder Singh Masson expressed the expectation that Punjab needs a political set-up that works for Punjab as a whole, rather than functioning within a narrow or sectarian class-divide disposition. He underlined the need for governance that rises above divisions and addresses the larger interests of the State and its people.
Dr. J. S. Anand, President, International Ethics Society, expressed deep concern over the decline in the quality of public discourse, language and action. He observed that Punjab is blessed with the wisdom of the Gurus, yet appears to have lost its direction towards becoming a genuine welfare society. He felt that politics has occupied the centre stage of public life and argued that if Punjab is to improve both its mental and material well-being, ethical orientation must become the foundation of its life systems.Dr. Anand proposed that students receiving degrees should consider signing a declaration that their knowledge would not be used to cause harm to society or humanity. He called upon young people to come forward and compel think tanks to work on constructs for the future, rather than remaining confined to debates about the past. Referring to the long-term approach often adopted in policymaking elsewhere, he said that policies should be framed with a vision extending decades into the future, rather than looking backwards into centuries. He emphasised that knowledge must be tempered with wisdom and should flow from libraries and institutions into the lives of ordinary people. In his view, the intellectual and ethical resources of a society are more sacred than material wealth. He called for an overhaul of systems of thought, observing that the quality of the word ultimately influences the quality of action: if the word is taken care of, right action will follow.
Jaspal Singh Pinki, A Bank AGM (retd) strongly advocated reducing what he described as unnecessary expenditure on propaganda and advertisements through print and electronic media and posters by the Punjab Government. He suggested that the money saved should instead be allocated in the next year's budget towards permanent teachers in schools and colleges, preferably with a sustained five-year commitment to strengthen the educational system. Another Banker K B Singh DGM opined that Punjab Govt. must work with fiscal prudence for reducing debt and not waste of freebies. Amarjeet Singh Sandhu, former SAI coach, drew attention to the challenges confronting Punjab's youth. He particularly stressed that the concerns of educated unemployed, underemployed youth and those working under contractual appointments cannot be ignored. He called for these issues to receive greater attention in policy formulation and implementation.
The participants agreed that Punjab's future cannot be secured merely through announcements, expansion of institutions or short-term measures. The State requires **quality education, ethical public life, competent and permanent academic manpower, affordable professional education, meaningful employment opportunities and governance focused on public welfare.
The virtual interaction concluded with the broad expectation that the period leading up to India's 81st Independence Day in 2027 should be treated as an opportunity for Punjab to demonstrate measurable progress, particularly in education and youth welfare. The Alumni Association expressed the hope that informed citizens, educators, policymakers and young people would continue to engage in such constructive public dialogue and help place Punjab's long-term interests above narrow considerations.
Brij Bhushan Goyal, Organising Secretary, Alumni Association, SCD Govt College, Ludhiana
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