Amritsar: The selected youth left Australia to serve his state and people
Punjab: Returning from Australia to serve as a government school teacher in the rural border belt of Chogawan in Amritsar district, Sukhmandeep Singh’s journey isn’t just about the several thousand miles he flew. He gave up the lure of earning in dollars and getting a permanent residence permit to return and serve his state and people.
His trials and tribulations began in 2020, when he took the exam hoping to crack the entrance test for selection of government teachers. Sukhmandeep found himself in a fix when the recruitment process got delayed even after the results of the exam were declared. In 2022, he migrated to Australia for higher education and if possible to get a permanent residence permit. But destiny had other plans for him.
Today, District Education Officer (Elementary) Kanwaljit Singh handed Sukhmandeep his appointment letter as a government school teacher. He is now set to teach at Government Elementary School, Mahale Ke, a border village in Chogawan block.
“At a time when the youth of Punjab are rushing to migrate wherever their visa application takes them, Sukhmandeep Singh’s return to his motherland makes for a stand-out story. He left Australia to join a government job and serve his motherland. All efforts are being made to ensure that our youth, our biggest human resource, come back to Punjab to join government workforce and have a life instead of facing uncertainty,” said Kanwaljit Singh, DEO (Elementary).
“I always wanted to serve as a government official and my original plans were to pursue my dream here. But fate intervened, and now, despite the delay, I have finally made it here again. I believe my love for Punjab and its language and culture made it happen,” said Sukhmandeep. He said that educated youth from Punjab must try and have a life here itself rather than spend a fortune on pursuing foreign dreams, only to return disappointed. Excited, he immediately said goodbye to Australia upon learning that he had been selected as a government school teacher, reaching the District Education Office directly from the airport in Rajasansi, to collect his appointment letter.
DEO Kanwaljit Singh said that the Punjab Education Department is giving appointment letters to teachers on merit basis without any bias. “Many youth are joining the teaching profession, leaving international companies. We are hopeful that this would be serve as a good beginning for others as well.”
