Meet Rajinder Singh: Bathinda teacher who saved village school from closure to receive national awards

PTC Information Office: Rajinder Singh, a government school teacher, will receive the National Teachers Award from the President of India on the upcoming Teachers’ Day.

Rajinder Singh, a teacher at Kothe Indra Singh Wale Government Primary School in Goniana Mandi, Bathinda district, has transformed the small village school in eight years. When he started working at the school in 2015, it had just 33 students and was on the verge of closure. The school now has 240 students, including those from 16 neighbouring villages.

Singh holds a dual master’s degree in Punjabi and English and has been teaching for 20 years.

#WATCH | Bathinda, Punjab: Rajinder Singh, a government school teacher, says, “…On September 5, President Droupadi Murmu will present me with the National Teachers Award. This award is in recognition of my contributions towards improving school education… I joined this school… pic.twitter.com/IskiIHTqU7 — ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2024

“I have worked in four government schools, all of which were dilapidated when I started. I have transformed them into smart schools. When I started in my current school in 2015, there were only 33 children. The total number has now reached 240. During the enrolment drive, the Punjab government’s target was ‘each bring one’, while my school’s target was ‘each bring two’,” Singh said.

Singh often holds competitions in which children from his school compete with those from surrounding private schools to convince parents that his school is in no way worse.

#WATCH | Bathinda, Punjab: Rajinder Singh, a government school teacher, will be honoured with the National Teachers Award by the President of India on the upcoming Teachers’ Day. pic.twitter.com/6e0dFlqLTm — ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2024

– PTC NEWS