Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains has said all state government schools named on the basis of caste and fraternity will be rechristened.

Bains issued a statement here on Thursday saying, “Several cases have come to the notice regarding the names of many government schools in the state being associated with a caste, which makes them feel uncivilised in the present era and at the same time promote caste segregation in the society.”

He said all the students were being given equal education on the basis of equality in the government schools of Punjab under which the names of government schools could not be related to class or caste.

The education minister said Punjab is the land of gurus, saints and great prophets who have taught humanity to stay away from casteism and all kinds of discrimination.

“In today’s era, these names have a profound effect on the tender minds of the students and sometimes many parents also refrain from enrolling their children in government schools because of these names,” he said.

A report has been sought from all district education officers and the elementary education department about the schools with different caste-based names running in their jurisdiction.

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