CHANDIGARH, July 1 — The Chandigarh administration has revived its flagship School Mentorship Programme under the National Education Policy (NEP), assigning prominent personalities from administration, medicine, academia, and business to mentor 42 government senior secondary schools across the city.
The programme, which is expected to resume later this month as schools reopen post-summer break, is aimed at fostering sustained, community-led guidance for students through monthly mentorship. Each school will be “adopted” by an individual mentor who will regularly engage with students, attend parent-teacher meetings, and offer insight into varied career paths.
“This initiative is designed for long-term engagement, not one-time sessions,” said Harsuhinderpal Singh Brar, UT Director of School Education. “Mentors are not involved in school administration. Their role is to inspire, support, and guide students through consistent interaction.” Brar, who is mentoring Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Dhanas, said the goal is to build meaningful connections that benefit students’ personal and academic growth.
Among those joining the initiative are senior UT officials, including acting Director General of Police Pushpendra Kumar, Deputy Commissioner Nishant Yadav, and Home Secretary Mandeep Singh Brar. They have each been allotted schools and are expected to visit once a month.
From the academic world, mentors include Panjab University Registrar YP Verma, education expert Nandita Shukla Singh, and faculty from institutions like IISER and NIPER, Mohali. In healthcare, PGIMER Director Dr Vivek Lal is among the mentors, assigned to GMSSS, Dhanas, alongside other specialists in psychiatry and community medicine.
The programme also draws strength from the business community, with entrepreneurs like Taranjeet Singh Bamra, Chairperson of CII Chandigarh; former CII heads Sarvjeet Virk, SPS Grewal, and Manish Gupta; and Bharti Sood of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry participating. Educationist Dr Madhu Chitkara and entrepreneur Naveen Manglani are also on board.
To signify their association and create visibility, mentors’ photographs and names will be displayed prominently in the schools they are connected to.
“This phase is currently limited to senior secondary schools,” Brar said, “but based on the initial response, we plan to extend it to all government schools in Chandigarh and bring in more mentors.”
The programme, originally conceptualized under NEP guidelines, aims to bridge the gap between institutional learning and real-world exposure by bringing professionals into school spaces as role models.
